Across the globe, billions of dollars are spent annually on repairing ecosystems damaged by people. Forests denuded by logging. Rivers polluted by industry. Grasslands converted to agriculture.
Across the globe, billions of dollars are spent annually on repairing ecosystems damaged by people. Forests denuded by logging. Rivers polluted by industry. Grasslands converted to agriculture.
A new meta-analysis of 400 studies that document recovery from such large-scale disturbances worldwide suggests that while ecosystems can bounce back, they rarely mend completely, with the final stages of recovery being most difficult.
Surprisingly, the new study also found that more costly active restoration efforts did not consistently result in faster or more complete recovery.
“Our study suggests that, in many cases, once damaging activities are halted, the most economically expedient restoration strategy might be to let ecosystems repair themselves,” Northern Illinois University scientist Holly Jones said. She led a team of researchers from five countries on the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Read more at Northern Illinois University
Image: This is Northern Illinois University professor Holly Jones (Credit: Northern Illinois University)
