Opportunities for Integrating Social Science into Research on Dry Forest Restoration: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystems have been greatly reduced in areas through conversions to alternate land uses such as grazing and crop production. The U.N. Decade on Restoration has focused attention on both restoration globally, and also regional attention on tropical dry forests, as they are excellent candidates for regeneration and reforestation. As such, the science of how we restore dry forests is advancing; however, few studies of dry forest restoration include collaborations with social scientists. This is unfortunate, because restoration projects that embrace a people-centered approach have the highest chances of success. Here, I review recent studies that have incorporated aspects of social science and human dimensions into the study and design of dry forest restoration practices. I focus on three key topics that merit a closer integration of restoration research and practice and social science: (1) recognizing that local people are central to project success, (2) cost benefit or effectiveness analyses that evaluate the relative costs of alternative management strategies, and (3) identification of land-use tradeoffs, synergisms and priority mapping. I conclude that closer collaborations among dry forest restoration researchers and a wider group of partners including social scientists, local communities, environmental educators, and geographers will increase the value of restoration research and the likelihood that such projects achieve multiple ecological and societal benefits.

Multi-Criteria Prioritization of Watersheds for Post-Fire Restoration Using GIS Tools and Google Earth Engine: A Case Study from the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

“…The subjectivity of the MCA method is generally acknowledged and welcomed by scientists and decision-makers, as it enriches the analyses with otherwise overlooked knowledge from the public and from local communities [19,71,72]. Although the participatory approach was successful in collecting useful input from GIS experts and local authorities, the participation in the hybrid workshops was limited to actors who were able to attend either in person, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, or remotely.…”

Belowground foundations of tropical forest restoration

“…In addition to biogeochemical and ecological belowground processes that support successful restoration, we must balance the economic and social needs of restoration areas during the next decade (United Nations, & World Bank, 2022). Stronger partnerships between scientists and restoration practitioners will help achieve this goal (Holl & Brancalion, 2022; Powers, 2022). Practitioners value inexpensive management strategies and tangible results (e.g., number of planted trees, tree survival, amount of biomass stored) that can be implemented at large scales (Holl & Brancalion, 2022).…”

Tropical Dry Forest Restoration in an Era of Global Change: Ecological and Social Dimensions

“…Socioeconomic indicators are rarely used to evaluate restoration outcomes [41], and there are few studies including both ecological and socioeconomic indicators in TDF restoration practice [42]. Several papers in this Special Issue explore a broader range of social and environmental limitations for the effective restoration of TDFs in Mexico [33,43] and Hawaii [44], and review the opportunities for the integration of social science dimensions in TDF restoration [45]. These three papers of the present Special Issue stress the urgent need to integrate local people in order to not only develop better TDF restoration programs, but also to guide TDF restoration at regional and global scales.…”