Achieving Success in Local Government Ecological Restoration Programs: a Focus on Sustainability

Abstract

Human activity is altering the global environment at an unprecedented rate. The exploitation of natural resources is adding considerable pressure to already vulnerable ecosystems and declining biodiversity. Ecological restoration has the potential to be a significant part of the solution to this problem by recovering degraded land, connecting and expanding natural areas, re-establishing habitat, and restoring ecosystem services. This has led to the practice being incorporated into natural resource management strategies globally. Much of the on-ground implementation of ecological restoration, however, falls into the hands of local governments as they are generally responsible for town planning and land management. Ensuring that local governments have the ability to deliver sustainable outcomes with restoration is a critical step in returning functionality and resilience to the landscape.