Student responses to Rapson (2023) and the pedagogical value of opinion articles in restoration ecology

In 2023, Rapson introduced the term “tertiary succession” to describe the recovery trajectories of ecosystems that have experienced human intervention (i.e. restoration). We assigned Rapson (2023) as seminar material in a fourth‐year undergraduate class to reinforce key concepts (primary succession, secondary succession, recovery trajectories, and timelines) and support discussion‐based learning. Following the seminar, we asked students to explain whether they thought tertiary succession, as proposed, was a useful term for restoration. Student opinions were relatively even: 38% of students agreed, 47% disagreed, and 17% were mixed. Of those that did not find utility in the term, 53% felt that the term was redundant or unnecessary. Another 24% believed that the term ignored key aspects of ecological restoration, like cultural or social objectives, and ignored recovery trajectories that do not follow successional pathways. Of those that did find utility in the term, 37% believed the term would help differentiate natural successional processes from assisted recovery. We believe opinion articles are powerful pedagogical tools that can be used in ecological education to reinforce key concepts and theories, support critical thinking, and foster logical decision‐making.