Identifying hotspots for ecosystem restoration across heterogeneous tropical savannah-dominated regions

Background

In the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, ecological restoration projects are a valuable tool for meeting global sustainability climate goals. Tropical regions are at the center of attention for their high biodiversity, carbon sink, and benefits to culture and human livelihood. Tropical dry savannahs are understudied even though they cover a large portion of tropical regions. Savannah dominated landscapes are valuable for their high plant diversity and vegetation type variation and high species turnover. Benefits to restoring these ecosystem types are also understudied.

Goals and Methods

The authors conduct a remote field study in the Brazilian Cerrado region using mapping tools to identify restoration hotspots, areas with a high probability of successful restoration. They also assess the impacts of regional policies and management in the context of climate change.

Conclusions and Takeaways

There is high potential to restore tropical savannah-dominated landscapes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The authors emphasize that restoring these landscapes will allow for a biodiverse mosaic-like landscape that allows for the coexistence of people and nature. The areas with the most potential for restoration have enough richness and diversity to succeed without much human intervention. These areas should be prioritized to minimize restoration costs and continue to push towards global carbon, biodiversity, and climate goals.