Towards a comprehensive evaluation and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration     

Towards a comprehensive evaluation and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 7 August 2025 V3 Latest version Share on Towards a comprehensive evaluation and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration Authors : Falk-Rudhard Schreiner 0009-0006-7407-1153 [email protected] , Ute Hamer , Norbert Hölzel , and Lena Neuenkamp Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174301724.48277597/v3 Published Ecological Indicators Version of record Peer review timeline 442 views 200 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Grassland degradation driven by land-use intensification has caused severe declines in biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and service provision worldwide. Effective restoration strategies are urgently needed to combat global grassland degradation. Such restoration strategies should achieve a comprehensive recovery of grasslands, i.e., revers anthropogenic degradation with regard to a broad set of ecosystem attributes. Practical restoration ecology shows that the effectiveness of certain restoration activities usually varies with site-specific context, which complicates the prediction of restoration outcomes and the identification of optimal restoration strategies. We highlight that an ecological theory-based, comprehensive and mechanistic perspective enables a holistic understanding of restoration processes and ultimately the development of credible scenarios for expected restoration outcomes to inform policy and stakeholder decisions. In this review, we take initial steps towards a more comprehensive and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration. We propose four overarching restoration goals aligned with international standards, each reflecting key ecosystem attributes. To operationalize these goals, we identify a set of quantitative indicators - including above- and belowground parameters - with a strong focus on indicators that may enhance mechanistic understanding of restoration processes. We argue that advancing mechanistic understanding will improve the reliability, transferability, and context-sensitivity of restoration planning. Moreover, it is essential for selecting indicators that allow a comprehensive evaluation of restoration success. To facilitate the development of such a mechanistic understanding we outline a conceptual model of potential causal linkages between ecosystem attributes, which may serve as blueprint for more sophisticated predictive models. Supplementary Material File (towards a comprehensive evaluation and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration.pdf) Download 1.20 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 26 March 2025 V2 Version 2 14 April 2025 V3 Version 3 07 August 2025 Peer review timeline Published Ecological Indicators Version of Record 1 May 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords grassland restoration indicators mechanisms prediction restoration goals semi-natural grasslands Authors Affiliations Falk-Rudhard Schreiner 0009-0006-7407-1153 [email protected] Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster View all articles by this author Ute Hamer Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster View all articles by this author Norbert Hölzel Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster View all articles by this author Lena Neuenkamp Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 442 views 200 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Falk-Rudhard Schreiner, Ute Hamer, Norbert Hölzel, et al. Towards a comprehensive evaluation and mechanistic perspective on grassland restoration . Authorea . 07 August 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174301724.48277597/v3 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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