Global restoration opportunities in tropical rainforest landscape

Background:

The identification of restoration opportunities, focusing on areas with both high potential for socioenvironmental benefits and feasibility for restoration, emerges as a crucial tool in meeting the ambitious restoration commitments set for the near future. Recognizing these opportunities can be integrated with other decision-making factors to establish priorities for the implementation and financing of the global restoration agenda.

Goals:

The authors seek to identify global restoration opportunities in lowland tropical rainforest landscapes by overlaying recent, peer-reviewed global-scale spatial datasets that serve as proxies for socioenvironmental benefits and feasibility of restoration, with direct and indirect consequences for nature, economies, and human well-being.

Takeaway:

Shifting from setting restoration targets based on total land area to prioritizing where and how restoration occurs it’s essential. Environmental managers should concentrate efforts on priority zones within moist forest biomes and other ecosystems rather than unrealistically large pledges. Strategically allocating resources in areas with high potential benefits and feasible restoration maximizes the impact of restoration efforts, addressing anthropogenic impacts and paving the way for a more promising future.