A framework for monitoring ecosystem restoration at landscape scale

Abstract Successful large‐scale ecosystem restoration projects are central to achieving ambitious global and regional restoration targets, but evidence on outcomes is scarce. We developed a novel framework for monitoring landscape and seascape restoration, refined through learnings from 14 large‐scale restoration projects in Europe over 6 years. The framework captures changes at two timescales: short‐term indicators assess progress towards project management or funding period outcomes while long‐term indicators measure progress towards the ultimate vision for restored landscapes. It encompasses natural capital, ecosystem service, and socioeconomic dimensions, but allows projects flexibility to select context‐specific indicators. We provide recommendations on the framework's application and illustrate its use in a large‐scale restoration project in Scotland. The framework encouraged projects to select new indicators, particularly of social outcomes, widening their understanding. Other learnings highlighted misalignment between ecosystem restoration timescales and funding cycles, the need for flexibility, and the value of focusing on a few well‐chosen indicators.