Five Frontiers for Science and Practice of Ecosystem Restoration in East African Forest Landscapes
ABSTRACT Ecosystem restoration, guided by numerous principles and practical guidelines, has been hailed as a strategy to combat climate change, reduce global biodiversity loss, restore ecosystem services, and enhance human well‐being. Yet, translating restoration principles into practice remains challenging for policymakers and practitioners. To address this issue, we identify five frontiers for advancing ecosystem restoration in East Africa's forest landscapes, using western Rwanda as a case study. Instead of drawing on existing high‐level ecosystem restoration guidelines, we synthesized locally grounded insights into tangible restoration priorities. We conducted a full‐day multi‐expert workshop using a “world café” approach to facilitate participatory large‐group discussions, involving scientists, practitioners, and decision‐makers working on ecosystem restoration in Rwanda. Five critical frontiers for ecosystem restoration science and practice were identified: (i) defining ecosystem restoration goals and elements of success; (ii) embedding ecosystem restoration in the promotion of multifunctional landscapes; (iii) enhancing food security, nutrition, and livelihoods through ecosystem restoration; (iv) engaging with values and nature's contributions to people in ecosystem restoration; and (v) governing ecosystem restoration for equity. For each of these frontiers, we highlight the state‐of‐the‐art, emerging research priorities, and recommendations for practice and policy to move ecosystem restoration ahead.
Authors
- Vicky M. Temperton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0543-4521)
- Matthias Baumann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2375-3622)
- Elias Nyandwi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3548-9980)
- Berta Martín‐López (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2622-0135)
- Jacqueline Loos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7639-2894)
- William Apollinaire
- Joern Fischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3187-8978)
- Susanne Vögele
- Callixte Gatali
- Dula Wakassa Duguma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4581-8351)
- Jeffrey L. Ullman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2017-6938)
- Meike Wollni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8460-7840)
- B. S. Franklin
- Leonidas Maniraho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1108-2684)
- Beth A. Kaplin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5396-5445)
- Angelique Kangondo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0553-9262)
- Laura Kmoch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0548-1240)
- Ernest Uwayezu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6172-6089)
- Katharina Löhr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2691-9712)
- Stefan Sieber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4849-7277)
- Gloriose Umuziranenge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5430-8121)
- Marina Frietsch
- Gaëlle Ndayizeye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6567-4642)
- Ping Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2981-6873)
- Venant Nzibaza
- Tobias Plieninger
- Nzamukosha Beatrice
- Sophia Bohn
- Verene Nyiramvuyekure
- Tsinda Aime
- Ndahiriwe Innocent
- Drocelle Mukaneza
- Valery Ndagijimana
- Martin Nizeyimana
Institutions
- University of Kassel (DE)
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE)
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
- Institut Superieur de Gestion (FR)
- University of Kigali (RW)
- University of Massachusetts Boston (US)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- University of Rwanda (RW)
- Institute for Biodiversity (DE)
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (DE)
- Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (DE)
- Rwanda Agriculture Board (RW)
- University of Arts (AL)
- Rwanda Biomedical Center (RW)
- University of Göttingen (DE)
- Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Integrative Conservation
- Published
- 2025-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/inc3.70048
- Primary Topic
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft