The role of ecological restoration and rehabilitation in production landscapes: An enhanced approach to sustainable development.

The annual costs of land degradation are thought to be in the order of 10-17% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The very high costs of land degradation makes large-scale ecological restoration a global imperative.This paper documents the areas wherein, and manners whereby, large-scale ecological restoration has the potential to be an integral component of the sustainable management of natural capital within production systems. The paper reviews the main land management approaches that could drive large-scale uptake of ecological restoration in agricultural landscapes; in doing so, it also describes where and how some of the main barriers to widespread uptake can be found, and overcome. The approaches were selected for being integrated, and ecosystem-based, participatory in form, collaborative and involving multiple stakeholders. All approaches are equally applicable in low and high socioeconomic contexts because they aspire to collaborative, risk sharing implementation. The approaches focused on are:•New integrated approaches•Novel ecosystems and adapting to rapid global change•Climate-smart agriculture and enhancing socio-ecological resilience•Increasing the multi-functionality and productivity of agricultural landscapes•Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions•Rewilding abandoned agricultural lands•Urban and peri-urban development•Infrastructure development and biodiversity offsetsThe paper also describes several case studies, in Africa and Asia, where ecological restoration is a key part of sustainable agricultural production.

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