Bringing back ecosystems through natural regeneration: three different examples from three continents
Mar 24, 2026 07:30 AM in Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Description
This webinar will feature three presentations exploring how natural regeneration can drive effective, large-scale ecological restoration when ecological processes are properly understood and supported.
In northeast Tasmania, the North East Bioregional Network will demonstrate that many degraded landscapes retain greater ecological resilience than commonly assumed. Rather than defaulting to planting, their projects emphasize assessing site resilience and activating natural regeneration. Two examples include Restore Skyline Tier, which is converting non-native Radiata Pine plantations back to biodiverse native forest at a landscape scale, and a roadside restoration initiative. Both show that minimal planting can succeed when natural recovery processes are supported.
The second presentation focuses on measuring regeneration success in Amazonian forests by operationalizing “ecological integrity.” Instead of relying solely on forest age or canopy cover, success is evaluated through recovery of structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning within an appropriate landscape context. A benchmark framework compares field data from secondary forests against reference trajectories and minimum thresholds derived from large plot datasets, providing measurable standards for assessing progress.
The third presentation highlights long-term work at the Cosumnes River Preserve by The Nature Conservancy. By breaching levees and restoring natural hydrology, practitioners facilitated regeneration on a Mediterranean floodplain. Findings show early successional stages are valuable, floodplain connectivity supports both fish and plant recovery, non-woody species contribute significantly to biodiversity, and periodic flooding suppresses invasive species. Sites with more frequent flooding maintained higher native plant diversity, underscoring the central role of natural hydrological processes in restoration success.
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P.S. - For those of you interested in Assisted Natural Regeneration or freshwater restoration, keep an eye on your inboxes - the ERIP Communities of Practice on Assisted Natural Regeneration and Freshwater Restoration will be launching soon!
