Abstract Detail

Conservation Biology

Luong, Justin [1], Press, Daniel [2], Holl, Karen [3].

Management and ecological surveys indicate long-term grassland restoration success but potential for biotic homogenization.

There are large monetary investments for restoration globally and achieving goals are important for limiting biodiversity loss, but outcomes are not often assessed. Combing ecological and management surveys, we assessed the outcomes of 37 restored California coastal grasslands along a 1000-km N-S climate gradient, 3-30 years post-implementation. Restoration efforts are successful at achieving original project goals and a standard metric for native cover, but management interviews suggest practices could lead to regional biotic homogenization. Invasive species were indicated as the largest barrier to achieving project goals which was further supported by a relationship between non-native cover and post-implementation project age. High labor investment resulted in projects with higher native richness and lower non-native cover. Future restoration efforts may benefit from regional coordination of species use across projects to limit biotic homogenization.

1 - University Of California Santa Cruz, Environmental Studies, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
2 - Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA, 95053, USA
3 - ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES DEPT., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States

Keywords:
restoration
management
Biodiversity
grasslands
reintroduction
Plant invasion.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: CB3007
Abstract ID:1004
Candidate for Awards:None