Learnings from the past to inform future ecosystem restoration projects: an Australian perspective

Abstract

Coastal and marine ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services and functions. Unfortunately, these habitats have experienced increasing anthropogenic and climate‐related pressures, leading to significant degradation and loss not only in Australia but also globally. Hence, the urgency for coastal and marine ecosystem restoration has never been more pronounced. We present a synthesis of 151 projects on coastal and marine restoration in Australia spanning mangrove, seagrass, tidal marsh, kelp, shellfish reef, and coral ecosystems. Our findings reveal increased restoration efforts over the past 30 years, with an increased focus on coral and shellfish reef habitats. Across Australia, most efforts were in southeastern Australia, with a noticeable gap in the Northern Territory. Restoration strategies focused on enhancing propagule availability (74%) and substrate availability (42%), with additional efforts toward implementing top–down (7%) and bottom–up (4%) controls to boost natural recruitment. Projects were carried out with the participation mostly of research universities (45%), followed by state government entities (42%), philanthropy (34%), and private companies (16%). Funding came primarily from governmental sources, such as state government entities (50%), the commonwealth (44%), and philanthropy (19%). Restoration outcomes are centered on monitoring growth and survival resulting from both single and multiple restoration actions. Our findings highlight key factors influencing natural recruitment across habitat types, where sedimentation and species reproductive biology play a critical role. While acknowledging that our results represent only a small fraction of Australia's coastal and marine restoration efforts, our intent is to contribute insights that can support large‐scale restoration actions not only in Australia but also on a global scale.