New publication: Towards Standardized Monitoring in Grassland Restoration
Degraded terrestrial grasslands are increasingly prioritized for restoration due to their significant ecological and economic importance. On the one hand, indicators need to be target-specific, on the other hand standardization is required for a comparable evaluations of interventions.
The most effective method for measuring ecosystem recovery is to consistently monitor changes in vegetation structure, biodiversity, composition, and ecosystem functions.
Our research group reviewed the international literature to examine current practices in grassland restoration monitoring across the Northern Hemisphere, with particular focus on the diversity and frequency of indicators used to assess restoration success.
The study found that grassland restoration monitoring has improved over the years, with a growing number of projects and a diversification of indicators. However, most evaluations still originate from high-income countries and are generally conducted at limited temporal and spatial scales. Furthermore, despite the variety of indicators used, harmonized monitoring frameworks remain lacking.
To support future harmonization, the researchers identified plant cover, a diversity indicator focusing on naturalness, and soil organic carbon as a potential minimum core set of indicators. These metrics are already widely applied across grassland restoration projects and could serve as a foundation for unified assessment frameworks.
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