Learning from failure: attempted eradication of red swamp crayfish in Malta did not deliver

Feature image: Invasive Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) © Alex Caruana Author Alex Caruana shares learnings from their failed attempts to eradicate invasive crayfish from the Fiddien Valley in Malta. Invasive alien crayfish, like the Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), are a major threat to freshwater ecosystems all over the world. They have a significant impact on freshwater food webs, can carry diseases such as … Continue reading Learning from failure: attempted eradication of red swamp crayfish in Malta did not deliver

Explore Before You Restore: Enhancing ecosystem restoration with complex systems science

Sybryn L. Maes explains how they, alongside colleagues, developed an Explore Before You Restore framework, and illustrates how these concepts may impact restoration outcomes by influencing degradation and recovery trajectories. To help restore ecosystems, we, a group of international experts in resilience & restoration, propose using a new framework called Explore Before You Restore (EBYR) throughout the restoration project cycle. Even though there are international, … Continue reading Explore Before You Restore: Enhancing ecosystem restoration with complex systems science

Contributing to the conversation on community engagement in ecosystem restoration

Authors Judy Kingsbury and Marian Farrior share proven practices developed from existing community-based restoration programmes to foster similar programmes around the world. Our article, co-authored with Bradley Herrick, was inspired by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the call to halt and reverse the degradation of Earth’s ecosystems. We share the principles, practices and frameworks behind the Arboretum’s ‘Restoration Team Leader Program’, for volunteers, … Continue reading Contributing to the conversation on community engagement in ecosystem restoration

Southwood Prize 2023: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Journal of Applied Ecology is delighted to announce Dominic McAfee as the winner of the 2023 Southwood Prize! The award is given annually to the best article in the journal by an author at the start of their career. This year, Dominic was chosen by the Senior Editors from a strong shortlist of 12 articles.  Winner: Dominic McAfee Research: Soundscape enrichment enhances recruitment and habitat building on new oyster reef … Continue reading Southwood Prize 2023: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Chico Mendes Prize 2023: Winner announced for early career practitioner award

We’re excited to announce Molly Mitchell as the winner of the 2023 Chico Mendes Prize, celebrating the best Practice Insights article in the journal by an author at the start of their career. Winner: Molly Mitchell Article: A marsh multimodel approach to inform future marsh management under accelerating sea-level rise About the research How do you make good decisions about managing resources when those resources are … Continue reading Chico Mendes Prize 2023: Winner announced for early career practitioner award

Restoring Landscapes: When restoration actions don’t lead to restoration outcomes

As part of the ‘Restoring Landscapes’ blog series, author Jake Williams presents a case study illustrating the value of satellite data in filling the knowledge gap on the effect of passive restoration efforts in different climatic and ecological contexts. With the launch of the ‘Restoring Landscapes’ blog series, it is a timely moment to reflect on the connection between the actions we call “restoration” and … Continue reading Restoring Landscapes: When restoration actions don’t lead to restoration outcomes

Restoring Landscapes: Knowledge Exchange Visit in the Cairngorms

In this series, we are promoting knowledge exchange in restoration around the world: from success to failures and anything in between! In this post Taylor Shaw from the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme shares their experience attending a Knowledge Exchange Visit hosted by Cairngorms Connect in Scotland, where restoration practitioners from across Europe met to discuss how science can support their work. The knowledge exchange … Continue reading Restoring Landscapes: Knowledge Exchange Visit in the Cairngorms

Natashi Pilon: Challenges and directions for open ecosystems biodiversity restoration: An overview of the techniques applied for Cerrado

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize In this blog post, Natashi Pilon discusses their team’s analysis of 82 data sets from the literature and primary data collection, with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of passive and active restoration techniques applied in Cerrado open ecosystems. Restoration We are in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the consensus is stronger than ever that conservation is … Continue reading Natashi Pilon: Challenges and directions for open ecosystems biodiversity restoration: An overview of the techniques applied for Cerrado

Conservation of future marshland

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize 2023 In this blog post, author Molly Mitchell describe her team’s Practice Insights article which demonstrates the value of using multiple models and data to inform marsh management, conservation and restoration practices. How do you make good decisions about managing resources when those resources are changing? This is the issue with which coastal managers have been struggling as sea … Continue reading Conservation of future marshland

Will fish passages alone resolve our river fragmentation problems?

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize 2023 In their latest Practice Insights article, Henry Hansen and colleagues present a case study that applies a new method to improve current fish habitat models and better guide future restoration efforts. Fragmentation has become a consistent impact in rivers as society’s need for renewable energy continues to grow. The proliferation of hydropower plants supports the world’s shared goal … Continue reading Will fish passages alone resolve our river fragmentation problems?