About this Research Topic
There is an urgent need to restore landscapes across the tropics. It can be achieved through different approaches (ranging from improved management to tree planting) and have distinct goals, including recovery of carbon stocks, biodiversity and agricultural productivity. Natural regeneration of the original vegetation after it has been removed in deforested landscapes is central to many restoration efforts. Restoration efforts making use of natural regeneration can be from fully passive like in case of secondary succession on fallowed land, but can also be actively managed. Active tree planting is often a means to enhance natural regeneration to guarantee self-sustainability over time. management of natural regeneration in fallows through pruning, selective weeding or, enrichment planting, restores ecosystem functioning and may enhance crop productivity. How natural regeneration can be enhanced/ managed to meet restoration goals is largely unknown, it will depend on socio-economic, biophysical and landscape contexts and on the specific restoration targets.
With this Research Topic we aim to conceptualise the role of natural regeneration practices for restoration and to advance the knowledge on the ecological and socio-economic enabling conditions as well as on how management practices can accelerate the recovery of different functions in different contexts.
In this Research Topic we are particularly interested in (i) how and where natural regeneration can help restoring landscapes, (ii) understanding the biophysical and anthropogenic conditions that enhance or preclude natural regeneration, (iii) how to manage natural regeneration to achieve different restoration goals, (iv) how restoration processes differ in dry and wet ecosystems and across regions, (v) what can we learn from theoretical ecology on secondary succession to help design effective restoration approaches.
We aim for a global coverage across the Pantropics. Submissions from regions that are underrepresented in restoration science and from early career scientists are especially welcome. Different types of articles are welcome, including Original Research, Perspectives, and Mini Reviews. Please find a complete list of article types here.
With this Research Topic we aim to conceptualise the role of natural regeneration practices for restoration and to advance the knowledge on the ecological and socio-economic enabling conditions as well as on how management practices can accelerate the recovery of different functions in different contexts.
In this Research Topic we are particularly interested in (i) how and where natural regeneration can help restoring landscapes, (ii) understanding the biophysical and anthropogenic conditions that enhance or preclude natural regeneration, (iii) how to manage natural regeneration to achieve different restoration goals, (iv) how restoration processes differ in dry and wet ecosystems and across regions, (v) what can we learn from theoretical ecology on secondary succession to help design effective restoration approaches.
We aim for a global coverage across the Pantropics. Submissions from regions that are underrepresented in restoration science and from early career scientists are especially welcome. Different types of articles are welcome, including Original Research, Perspectives, and Mini Reviews. Please find a complete list of article types here.
Keywords: Restoration, Agroforestry systems, Secondary succession, Natural regeneration, Fallows
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
