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A new era in forest restoration monitoring
Author(s) -
de Almeida Danilo R. A.,
Stark Scott C.,
Valbuena Ruben,
Broadbent Eben N.,
Silva Thiago S. F.,
de Resende Angelica F.,
Ferreira Matheus P.,
Cardil Adrián,
Silva Carlos A.,
Amazonas Nino,
Zambrano Angelica M. A.,
Brancalion Pedro H. S.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1111/rec.13067
Subject(s) - restoration ecology , context (archaeology) , environmental restoration , scale (ratio) , environmental resource management , accountability , adaptive management , computer science , environmental science , ecology , political science , geography , cartography , archaeology , law , biology
Monitoring ecological restoration has been historically dependent on traditional inventory methods based on detailed information obtained from field plots. New paradigms are now needed to successfully achieve restoration as a large‐scale, long‐lasting transformative process. Fortunately, advances in technology now allow for unprecedented shifts in the way restoration has been planned, implemented, and monitored. Here, we describe our vision on how the use of new technologies by a new generation of restoration ecologists may revolutionize restoration monitoring in the coming years. The success of the many ambitious restoration programs planned for the coming decade will rely on effective monitoring, which is an essential component of adaptive management and accountability. The development of new remote sensing approaches and their application to a restoration context open new avenues for expanding our capacity to assess restoration performance over unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. A new generation of scientists, which have a background in remote sensing but are getting more and more involved with restoration, will certainly play a key role for making large‐scale restoration monitoring a viable human endeavor in the coming decade—the United Nations' decade on ecosystem restoration.