Abstract
AbstractRestoring degraded habitat to increase biodiversity is a global challenge. While habitat restoration for animals should lead to self‐sustaining breeding populations of target species, often this does not occur. Understanding the factors constraining progress toward this goal and how these constraints can be overcome is vital. We use a review to highlight how insights from animal behavior can help plan restoration projects, and identify and ameliorate some of the reasons why restoration may fail to meet biodiversity goals. We present a decision tree to highlight how behavioral knowledge can identify and address two ways in which restoration can fail when: (1) target animals do not colonize restored sites and (2) they colonize restored sites but experience conditions that do not match their habitat requirements. Investing in the collection of behavioral information may be difficult for management agencies when funding is limited. We highlight when behavioral information is likely to be most important, and some of the practical considerations for its application in restoration projects. We conclude by identifying key knowledge gaps and future directions that can improve restoration outcomes for biodiversity by incorporating behavioral knowledge. Restoration is needed to ameliorate the effects of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation on fauna. Unfortunately, restoration does not always lead to the intended optimal outcomes for target animals. A greater consideration of animal behavior and its consequences can help during both the planning and evaluation of restoration projects. We hope to stimulate dialogue between restoration and behavioral ecologists to improve restoration outcomes for animals.
Highlights
Given the threats that habitat loss and degradation pose to biodiversity, the need to restore habitats is well established, as highlighted by the recent announcement of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (United Nations 2019).Habitat degradation and loss is the most common threat globally for birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, and the second most common threat for fishes (World Wildlife Fund 2018)
We present a decision tree (Fig. 2) which describes the steps from planning restoration projects to the eventual successful establishment of self-sustaining breeding populations of target animals
We present an example to illustrate how the key principles can be considered, and conclude by highlighting some important management considerations associated with incorporating behavioral knowledge into restoration projects
Summary
BLUMSTEIN ,2 RALPH MAC NALLY ,1 AND STEPHEN E.
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