Challenges for policy and practice in meeting ambitious ecological restoration targets by 2030: A perspective from Colombia
Mauricio Aguilar-Garavito, Paola Isaacs‐Cubides, Natalia Peña-González, Eleanor Warren‐Thomas
Abstract
Targets for ecosystem restoration have been made at global, regional, and national scales, but monitoring of progress remains challenging. Differences in definitions, goals, and practices among restoration initiatives, linked to policy drivers and funding sources, add complexity. We evaluate the current state of ecological restoration activity in Colombia, where, since 2012, legal requirements to compensate for environmental damage may be driving widespread restoration efforts, alongside a long history of government and private restoration initiatives. We systematically searched several public databases, and circulated an online survey, to collect records of 675 terrestrial and coastal restoration projects initiated between 1963 and 2021, capturing data on: location, funding, monitoring, ecosystem type and actors. Location was reported for 613 projects at municipality level, and 261 projects at point level. Restoration aims included recovery of ecological processes, hydrological processes, soil erosion, and natural resources. Only 24 % reported any monitoring, with just 2 % monitoring effectiveness. Forty-one percent of projects were enacted under environmental compensation laws. Funding was mostly from within Colombia, with minimal international funding. This work highlights major gaps in the monitoring needed to achieve effective implementation of restoration targets. Enhancing coordination among institutions, and enhancing monitoring, will now be crucial to achieving restoration goals. • A total of 675 ecological restoration projects were initiated in Colombia from 1963 to 2021. • Monitoring efforts are reported in only 24 % of the ecological restoration projects. • Restoration initiatives are concentrated in the Andean region which contains 49 % of projects. • Assisted natural regeneration techniques are employed in 66 % of documented projects. • National funding sources dominate project financing, with limited contributions from international donors.