Ecosystem restoration: Climbing the social-ecological ladder of restoration ambition

Ecosystem restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been damaged, degraded or destroyed, mostly due to human activities. Restoration activities hold immense promise for addressing pressing environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss or climate change. But how do we scale up our restoration efforts to achieve meaningful and lasting impact? How can the new demands on restoration and the need to address complex social-ecological dynamics be met? Let’s explore the factors that influence the scale and scope of restoration initiatives…

Social and ecological factors are strongly interconnected in shaping restoration ambition. Ecological considerations such as habitat connectivity, species diversity, and ecosystem resilience play a crucial role in determining the scale and scope of restoration initiatives. But social factors such as governance structures, institutional capacity, and community engagement are equally important.

An example: At the local level, restoration efforts may be driven by community-led initiatives aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems and improving livelihoods. These projects then often rely on traditional knowledge, local resources, and social networks to achieve their goals, which emphasizes the importance of community empowerment and participation in restoration activities. In contrast, at the regional or national level, restoration ambition may be driven by broader policy goals such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, or sustainable land management. In these cases, restoration efforts are often guided by national strategies, legal frameworks, and funding mechanisms aimed at scaling up restoration activities and achieving landscape-scale impact.

However, scaling up restoration ambition from local to landscape levels is not without its challenges. Desirable goals can get in each other’s way, and then actors have to handle complex decisions regarding which ambitions to pursue to which degree. This can hinder progress and undermine the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-level approach. The “social-ecological ladder of restoration ambition” aims to do this.

The social-ecological ladder to restoration ambition helps to approach restoration goals that dynamically shift.
(Source: iStock)

Said ladder is a conceptual model to approach dynamically shifting social and ecological restoration goals, and can therefore help to navigate the common challenges that come up with restoration projects. What this ladder can do:

• illustrating that both social and ecological goals are important
• underlining that goals change over time
• increasing awareness of restoration challenges and trade-offs
• indicating ways to foster synergies through time
• encouraging iterative assessments of restoration projects (adaptive management!)

In addition to addressing all these specific challenges, the social-ecological ladder of restoration ambition helps to improve restoration science and practice: It views restoration sites as social-ecological systems. And it makes restoration more adaptive and dynamic, which is becoming more and more important in the context of global environmental change. So the ladder basically (and literally?) helps us climb towards an increasingly more sustainable world.

If you want to read more about this topic, you can find the whole paper HERE.

Frietsch, M., Pacheco-Romero, M., Temperton, V.M., Kaplin, B.A., Fischer, J. The social–ecological ladder of restoration ambition. Ambio (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02021-8

Text by Isabelle Andres

Save the Dates: Social-Ecological Systems – An Artistic Journey

– Save the Dates –

Look forward to three upcoming online-events and an exhibition at the SES-Institute: “Social-Ecological Systems – An Artistic Journey”.

Exhibition

The exhibition will take place in the foyer of the library of the Leuphana University from 6^th to 20^th, June.

Online Panel Discussions

The online panel discussions will take place 6th, 13th and 20th, June, 1:30PM-2:30PM CEST. Stay tuned and register here: https://bit.ly/3iqb7l0 .

June 6 | Getting unstuck: from polycrisis to a better future.

June 13 | Social-ecological systems research in the Global South: beneficial or post-colonial?

June 20 | The workings of politics and power behind social-ecological systems research.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3iqb7l0

Text by Mareike Andert

Beyond the crop: Diversified farming for long-term sustainable agriculture?

“Agriculture is one of the main drivers of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, and its impact is expected to grow further with the increasing population. Converting our current agricultural system to a more sustainable one is essential if we want to achieve the IPBES strategic goals of conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services and the sustainable development goals.” (Rosa-Schleich et al., 2024)

At the core of diversified farming lies the concept of agroecology — a system of farming that emphasizes ecological principles such as biodiversity, soil health, and natural resource conservation. By integrating various crops, livestock, and other elements into a single farming system, diversified farmers aim to create resilient and sustainable food production systems that benefit both people and the planet.

The principle of agroecology and its components.
(Source: iStock)

Adjacent to the diversity of this type of farming, there are also diverse perceptions farmers have of the ecological-economic performance of diversified farming. While some farmers emphasize the environmental benefits, such as improved soil fertility, enhanced biodiversity, and reduced reliance on chemical inputs, others focus on the economic advantages, such as increased farm income, diversified revenue streams, and enhanced market opportunities.

Why diversified farming?

For many farmers, the decision to adopt diversified farming practices is driven by a desire to mitigate risks and adapt to changing environmental conditions. By diversifying their crops and livestock, they are better able to withstand the impacts of climate change, pest outbreaks, and market fluctuations, ensuring the long-term resilience and viability of their farming operations.

Crop diversity and diversified farming can help to withstand changing environmental conditions.
(Source: iStock)

But the benefits of diversified farming extend “beyond the crop”. By enhancing ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, and water regulation, diversified farming systems contribute to broader environmental goals such as biodiversity conservation, soil health, and climate change mitigation. In this way, diversified farmers can play a crucial role in safeguarding the health and resilience of the natural ecosystems upon which we all depend.

Hesitation towards diversified farming

Yet, despite its many benefits, diversified farming is not without its challenges. A lot of farmers are still hesitant towards applying diversified farming. They may see barriers such as limited access to markets, technical knowledge, and financial resources, as well as social and cultural norms that favor conventional farming practices. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach that includes supportive policies, extension services, market incentives, and farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing.

So, what does this mean?

Diversified farming has a lot of potential to transform our agricultural systems and create a more sustainable future for all. By embracing the principles of agroecology and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, diversified farming can protect the planet, build resilient communities, and provide food for people. However, there is still a need for environmental policy to consider the different perceptions farmers have of diversified farming,

If you want to read more about this topic, you can find the whole paper HERE.

Rosa-Schleich, J., Loos, J., Ferrante, M., Mußhoff, O., & Tscharntke, T. (2024). Mixed farmers’ perception of the ecological-economic performance of diversified farming. Ecological Economics, 220, 108174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108174

Text by Isabelle Andres

Save the Dates: Social-Ecological Systems – An Artistic Journey

– Save the Dates –

Look forward to three upcoming online-events and an exhibition at the SES-Institute: “Social-Ecological Systems – An Artistic Journey”.

Exhibition

The exhibition will take place in the foyer of the library at the Leuphana University from 6^th to 20^th, June.

Panel Discussions

The panel discussions will be on the 6^th, 13^th and 20^th, June, 1:30PM-2:30PM CEST. Stay tuned and register here: https://bit.ly/3iqb7l0 . Online and in-person.

June 6 | Getting unstuck: from polycrisis to a better future.

June 13 | Social-ecological systems research in the Global South: beneficial or post-colonial?

June 20 | The workings of politics and power behind social-ecological systems research.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3iqb7l0

Text by Mareike Andert

A balancing act: Navigating land-use change for sustainable ecosystem services

Diverse landscapes such as the ones found in southwestern Ethiopia provide a multitude of essential services that sustain both nature and people. But human activities continue to shape the land. What does this land-use change do to these invaluable ecosystem services? How does the future look like for southwestern Ethiopia’s landscapes? Let’s find out…

A recent study conducted by SESI members and other researchers offers insights into how land-use changes may impact the provision of ecosystem services in the years to come. Their findings shed light on the question of how ecosystem service provision might look like under future land-use change scenarios. Although rooted in the context of southwestern Ethiopia, this carries broader implications for global conservation efforts and sustainable development practices.

Every decision we make about how we utilize the land has far-reaching consequences for the services it provides. Consider, for example, the vital role that forests play in regulating the Earth’s climate. As trees are cleared to make way for agriculture or urban areas, the capacity of these ecosystems to sequester carbon is compromised. This, in turn, can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions, and thus contribute to climate change. And this example is only one of many ways human activities alter ecosystems and change landscapes.

Deforestation is just one of the many ways human activities change landscapes and affect ecosystem service provision.
(Source: iStock)

Yet, amidst these challenges, there are opportunities for positive change. With the help of participatory scenario planning, the researchers were able to anticipate likely future changes to landscapes. They developed four future land-use scenarios, each showing different potential ecosystem service changes:

• Gain over grain
• Coffee and conservation
• Mining green gold
• Food first

The intensification of agriculture is the strongest factor influencing land-use change. It has diverse negative effects on ecosystems.
(Source: iStock)

Not surprisingly, the study found that landscape modification was strongest for scenarios involving agricultural intensification, resulting in negative effects on ecosystem service provision. In contrast, the most sustainable scenario is “Coffee and conservation”. It is an integrative approach of food production AND biodiversity conservation and therefore secures diverse ecosystem services for the long-term.

Ultimately, the findings of this study underscore the urgent need for concerted action to safeguard the future of ecosystem services in southwestern Ethiopia and beyond. They can help stakeholders and decision-makers to understand and assess the viability of current development policies, as well as identify and design more sustainable land-use options.

If you would like to explore this topic further, you can find the whole paper HERE.

Duguma, D. W., Brueck, M., Shumi, G., Law, E., Benra, F., Schultner, J., Nemomissa, S., Abson, D. & Fischer, J. (2024). Future ecosystem service provision under land-use change scenarios in southwestern Ethiopia. Ecosystems and People, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2024.2321613

Text by Isabelle Andres

International restoration principles and their relevance for practice on the ground – insights from western Rwanda

Natural forest and restoration activties in western Rwanda.

Principles for natural resource management can serve many different purposes: they can simplify processes, facilitate negotiation processes between stakeholders, guide concrete action on the ground, and – in the best case – they can form the basis for success. Such principles also exist for ecosystem restoration.

Proper restoration is not that easy, but it is extremely important, as many ecosystems have been destroyed by humans. Healthy ecosystems are positive for human well-being and make us more resilient to sustainability crises such as global warming. It is ecologically, politically and socially challenging to get complex ecosystems with all their functions and processes up and running again. For that, various restoration guidelines exist. One set are the 10 “Principles to guide the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030”, which were developed by key restoration actors. Obviously, principles alone are not enough; their relevance in practice is crucial.

Therefore, Marina Frietsch and colleagues assessed “the perceived relevance of restoration principles in practice in a case study in Rwanda“. Their aim was “to assess to what extent the 10 international restoration principles put forward for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration are relevant to restoration practice among stakeholders in Rwanda.” To this end, they conducted a Q-study with 32 key actors involved in restoration interventions in western Rwanda. In a nutshell, study participants were asked to rank 20 proxy statements about factors that can contribute to successful restoration.

The analysis showed that the 10 principles are actually relevant in practice. The results can be clustered in such a way that three groups of stakeholder perspectives emerge, i.e. groups that have different opinions about what is needed for successful restoration:

Group 1: “You Can’t Treat a Disease If You Don’t Know the Cause”

Group 2: “Where Trees Grow, People Grow”

Group 3: “Real-World Knowledge Should Be the Foundation of Every Restoration Project”

Moreover, the participants expressed additional features that should be highlighted when discussing approaches for successful restoration practice:

1. restoring historical conditions
2. collecting baseline data
3. increasing local communities’ sense of ownership
4. pursuing a long-term vision for restoration activities.

Whereas the first two features are classical ecological priorities for restoration, the third is political in nature – this can be seen as connected to the current discourses on equity and justice in restoration issues. The fourth feature connects the other three by emphasizing that restoration is a challenging ecological, social as well as long-term task.

Although perspectives on what is important for designing and implementing restoration interventions in western Rwanda differ, they should be seen as complementary. Differing views on how to best approach restoration do not necessarily need to result in conflicts between stakeholder-groups, but can inspire integrated restoration activities that account for different needs and values – particularly in situations involving transdisciplinary approaches for deliberation and collaboration.

“The best part of this study was when participants reported back that the Q-method exercise inspired them to reflect their own attitudes and values regarding successful restoration and even sparked discussions with their colleagues”, says Marina Frietsch from SES-Institute.

For the Q-study, participants were given a scoreboard with 20 empty fields along a gradient from least to most important for successful restoration to sort proxy statements according to their own priorities. In a next step, they were asked to build towers using 60 LEGO bricks to illustrate the extent of application of each statement in practice.

Text by Mareike Andert

Read more about this topic here.

Marina Frietsch, Joern Fischer, Beth A. Kaplin, Berta Martín-Lopez (2024). The relevance of international restoration principles for ecosystem restoration practice in Rwanda. Restoration Ecology Vol. 32, No. 3, e14085

Innovating for Tomorrow: Lessons from Biosphere Reserve Sustainability

(Source: iStock)

Biosphere Reserves are not just protected areas; they are hubs of innovation, testing grounds for sustainable practices that could change the world. In their recent study, Dabard et al. delved deep into these model regions, analyzing the types of sustainability innovations found within them. The study’s findings shed light on how these innovations could transform our approach to conservation and development.

From community-based conservation efforts to cutting-edge technological solutions, sustainability innovations embody diverse approaches aimed at harmonizing human activities with the natural environment. However, beyond their individual merits, what truly sets these innovations apart is their collective capacity to instigate transformative change.

Grouping sustainability innovations into patterns, so called archetypes, helps studying and analyzing them. These archetypes reveal the essence of what makes sustainability innovations tick and how they can make a real difference.

The study identified six different archetypes:

1. Participative Transformation Governance
2. New Sectors for Social-ecological Transformations
3. Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurs
4. Social Innovations
5. Service Innovations
6. Technological Efficiency Innovations

Each of these archetypes targets different leverage points — so points where sustainability innovations cause a change and enhance impacts. This archetype approach is thus suitable for capturing a diverse range of sustainability innovations and characterizing their transformative outcomes.

What does all this mean for the world beyond Biosphere Reserves? It means we have a blueprint — a roadmap for how to tackle environmental issues in a way that works with nature, not against it. The findings underscore the importance of holistic and context-specific approaches that transcend disciplinary boundaries and cater to the diverse needs and aspirations of communities and ecosystems alike.

(Source: iStock)

In essence, the study invites us to reframe our understanding of sustainability innovations not merely as isolated interventions but as interconnected components of a larger transformative process. By recognizing and harnessing the diverse archetypes of sustainability within Biosphere Reserves (and beyond), we can chart a course towards a more resilient, equitable, and thriving future for both humanity and the planet. It shows us that the key to a sustainable future lies not in one big idea, but in many small ones working together in harmony. And Biosphere Reserves are where those ideas come to life.

If you would like to explore this topic further, you can find the whole paper HERE.

Caroline Hélène Dabard, Carsten Mann, Berta Martín-López (2024). An archetype analysis of sustainability innovations in Biosphere Reserves: Insights for assessing transformative potential. Environmental Science & Policy, Volume 153, 2024, 103674, ISSN 1462-9011, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103674.

Text by Isabelle Andres

Dying beauties – Better Research for Coastal Regions needed: Transdisciplinary Anticipatory Research

Source: Pixabay

Coasts provide special habitats for a wide variety of life forms. They also protect against erosion caused by storm surges and other large waves such as tsunamis. However, whether in Europe, Southeast Asia or Africa – coastal ecosystems are threatened worldwide due to anthropogenic sustainability crises such as the climate crises or pollution. People in the Global South in particular suffer from the consequences of changing coasts due to (neo-)colonialism, globalization and capitalism as well as unstable political and economic conditions.

“The literature review interestingly showed that (a) anticipatory research in the Global South has relatively speaking not increased over the last decade, and (b) much focus in transdisciplinary transformative research is on “past and current state” analyses and not on visioning.”

Maraja Riechers from SES-Institute

Relying solely on traditional academic knowledge may not be sufficient to protect those coasts and to facilitate the emergence of alternative sustainable visions, researchers from the SES-Institute at the Leuphana University are convinced. On the contrary, scientific efforts must innovate transformative methodologies and methods to support sustainable visions. Anticipation research in combination with transdisciplinary research is key in promoting sustainability transformation by enhancing alternative future scenarios in collaboration with stakeholders. Innovative research methods can create imaginative spaces, introducing novel ways of living and emphasizing radical, innovative, and sustainable goals to drive transformation towards a more sustainable future.

Therefore, Maraja Riechers, Lilly Baumann and colleagues analysed the extent to which transdisciplinary approaches applied to cases in the Global South consider ‘anticipation of the future’ of coastal systems. To answer this, they conducted a systematic literature review analysing 256 peer reviewed articles.

The systematic literature review revealed that the majority of the reviewed articles focused on analyzing past and current states instead of research on plausible futures, transition strategies or visioning research. The use of anticipation research, if conducted, primarily emphasized plausible and (im)probable futures, rather than pluralistic or performative scenarios, and aimed to enhance present capacities rather than mobilize or question various social actors and political implications in the current context. Articles utilizing anticipation methods seldom explored the connection between anticipation and sustainability transformation.

Transform framework with integrated numbers of articles found in each step, represented by the size of the circles. One article could perform more than one step of the framework. Adapted from (Wiek and Lang 2016).

Distribution of reviewed articles describing transdisciplinary and transformative research that work with (grey) and without (black) anticipation approaches specifically and from 2001 to 2020 in percent (legend on the left); number of articles in this literature by time (legend on the right).

Approaches to anticipatory governance with integrated numbers of articles found in each approach, represented by the size of the circles. One article could apply more than one step of the framework. Adapted from (Muiderman et al. 2020).

However, combining transdisciplinary and anticipation research can synergistically drive sustainability transformation. This combined approach can incorporate diverse perspectives and values of stakeholders, fostering alternative visions to challenge unsustainable narratives.

Their findings suggest enhancing the integration of transdisciplinary and anticipation methodologies in research to highlight alternative visions of sustainability that may already exist and to amplify diverse values, epistemologies, and ontologies.

By doing so, future visions may become more inclusive and reflective of realities in the Global South. Anticipating the future through transdisciplinary methods can lay the groundwork for managing future environmental and societal challenges adaptively. This approach can offer insights to identify, mitigate, or prevent governance actions leading to undesirable future outcomes. Integrating anticipation and foresight into transdisciplinary research holds promise for realizing innovative and sustainable future visions.

Using transdisciplinary anticipatory research offers the opportunity to produce knowledge which could lead to meaningful contributions to protect and sustain coastal regions, their ecosystems and values for people.

Lilly Baumann is the first author of the paper and did this research for her bachelor thesis.

This article is part of a (completed) working group of the German Commission on Sustainability (Deutschen Kommission Nachhaltigkeit (DKN)) of Future Earth. More information here.

Read the full paper here.

Lilly Baumann, Maraja Riechers, Louis Celliers & Sebastian C. A. Ferse (2023). Anticipating and transforming futures: a literature review on transdisciplinary coastal research in the Global South, Ecosystems and People, 19:1, 2288957

Text by Mareike Andert

Stories and insights from the field

Felipe Benra talks about his fieldwork in southern Chile

Dr. Felipe Benra, SESI member and research associate in the professorship for sustainable landscapes at Leuphana University, just came back from field studies in southern Chile. He has very interesting insights to share about his journey and the case study – and so he wrote a super exclusive guest contribution for you. Enjoy!

In many places of the world, land surface to create traditional protected areas is scarce. So called “working landscapes” – the landscapes where people live, work and thrive – don’t seem to receive the attention they deserve. That’s why it came as a surprise to me when I realized during a field campaign in southern Chile that people are indeed very interested in conservation and restoration and that they want to be part of the solution.

Working landscape at its purest. A combination of pastures with linear features of tree cover. Multiple ecosystems services are provided here, for example fodder, timber, and aesthetic beauty. In the background the Andes Mountains at latitude 40°S. (Photo credits: Felipe Benra)

The main economic activity in the study area is agriculture with a focus on dairy farming. (Photo credits: Felipe Benra)

The fieldwork campaign was conducted on a dairy working landscape in southern Chile in the frame of a future application of a DFG Emmy Noether program. It consisted of interviews with landowners designed to obtain insights about motivations and values for restoration. Through a deep collaboration and understanding of the landowners’ culture in the area, we were able to conduct 100 interviews.
(By “we” here I mean myself and primarily my colleague Victor Vergara. He is a farmer’s son and therefore well acquainted with the area. That local knowledge seemed to pay off because he was welcomed there with open arms.)

The Chirre River: One of the seven investigated rivers. Many people own land along these rivers, making them key actors for restoration. Multiple species find harbor on the riverine forests. (Photo credits: Felipe Benra)

We got to know beautiful places which are not quite open to the public sphere, and we learned about geographies of several municipalities in the region. The idea of this case study was to understand the perspective and socio-ecological conditions of landowners/managers who own properties along seven rivers in the region. The selection of these rivers is based on their condition of linear landscape features that allow for several types of connectivity and for movement of local (and introduced) flora and fauna. We also wanted to see which type of land cover the landowners are willing to restore: Rather grasslands or forests (which are the dominant land covers in the study area)?

Many grasslands contain a rich diversity of native and introduced species. This shows a pasture that’s been mowed at its peak in late November. (Photo credits: Felipe Benra)

Exotic tree plantations pose risks for local biodiversity. In this case, eucalyptus are very fire prone and the shown stand will soon be clear-cutted. All understory (composed of native species) is removed as well. (Photo credits: Felipe Benra)

With the data collected through the interviews, we will now be able to make connections between social and ecological variables and find out how they interplay to possibly enable restoration.

Overall, we gained access to 100 properties with a total area of 13,968 hectares. Most of the landowners (95 %) agreed that we access their properties again in the future to establish experiments there. It is still up for question where exactly the experiments will be located (within the properties), but we will work on this as part of the proposal to DFG.

I am personally very happy with the field study and hope to obtain some nice insights – and why not come up with a couple of papers out of the data? Maybe you’ll even spot one or another here… ; )

If you’re interested in Felipe’s work and want to know more about it or follow his project-journey, contact him via e-mail (felipe.benra@leuphana.de) or keep track on any news about it on the SESI website.

Text by Isabelle Andres

Threats to wildlife and habitat in Tanzania’s Greater Mahale Ecosystem

In the heart of western Tanzania lies the Greater Mahale Ecosystem — a landscape of unparalleled beauty and biodiversity. Dense forests, sprawling savannahs, and winding rivers are home to iconic African species, from elephants and lions to chimpanzees and antelope. However, human activities threaten their habitat. This shows once again the urgent need of wildlife conservation and its consideration in land-use planning.

The Greater Mahale Ecosystem provides habitat for many different species.
(Source: iStock)

The Greater Mahale Ecosystem serves as a sanctuary for a diverse array of wildlife. Each species is intricately woven into the fabric of the ecosystem. From the gentle giants of the elephant herds to the elusive leopards that prowle the ground, every creature plays a vital role in shaping the delicate balance of life within the Greater Mahale Ecosystem. And they all have a unique relationship with their habitat.

But over time, environmental factors such as habitat degradation (especially deforestation) influence the distribution and behavior of wildlife within their ecosystem. Different animals respond differently to habitat loss. It shows that there is a species-specific pattern to changes in suitable habitat.

Land-use changes such as deforestation contribute to habitat loss.
(Source: iStock)

The Greater Mahale Ecosystem is a sobering reminder of the fragility of our natural world. With years passing by, one can witness the devastating impacts of human activities on the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Deforestation, unsustainable land use practices, and the expansion of agricultural land all exerct pressure on the landscape, threatening the very survival of the species that call it home.

These findings present challenges to conservation planning, but they also inform conservation strategies. They emphasize the urgency to act and a need to investigate habitat loss from a species-specific perspective. Evidence-based and taxonomic-specific wildlife management policies will be key for the future health of Tanzania’s wildlife habitat, abundance, and distribution.

If you would like to explore this topic further, you can find the whole paper HERE.

Thomsen, S., Loos, J., Stewart, F. A., & Piel, A. K. (2023). Wildlife habitat association over a twelve-year period (2008–2020) in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, western Tanzania. Journal for Nature Conservation, 75, 126464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126464

Text by Isabelle Andres