Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant initiated a large reforestation programme after the expropriation of the areas destined for the formation of the reservoir. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forest restoration of the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion, Brazil, using epigaeic ant assemblages as bioindicators, by comparing ant species richness and composition in the Reservoir Protection Strip with adjacent areas, such as the primary forest of the Iguaçu National Park and the Permanent Preservation Area located on a rural property and agricultural areas. In total, 171 ant species were identified. Ant species richness was higher in forest than in agricultural areas and did not differ among forest areas. However, ant species composition in forest areas, regardless of the restoration technique used, was not similar to the primary forest, possibly due to variation in forest recovery time. This study highlights the great value of the Iguaçu National Park as a conservation unit. Also, it reveals that the efforts for the creation and maintenance of the Reservoir Protection Strip, which remains without anthropic interventions for years, might indeed lead to a complete recovery of the ant species composition over time, reinforcing their great importance for biodiversity conservation.

Jeju Island, designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site, continues to face the anthropogenic pressures of reckless development for regional tourism and economic revitalization purposes. Because land use/land cover (LULC) affects ecosystem services and human well-being, it is crucial to comprehensively identify the causes of changes in LULC based on long-term analyses. This study examined LULC changes on Jeju Island over 47 years from 1973 to 2019 and quantified changes in four ecosystem services: habitat quality, carbon stock, water yield and cumulative viewshed. From 1973 to 1998, forest land increased from 22% to 56%, but these restoration efforts were conducted in grassland, reducing that land type from 42% to 17%. This process increased the areas of highest habitat quality from 68% to 73%, and carbon stock increased from 20 to 30 million tonnes. Between 1998 and 2009, the area of cropland more than doubled from 21% to 44%. As a result, the areas of highest habitat quality decreased from 73% to 49%, and carbon stock decreased from 3.0 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes. Our analysis could help stakeholders and policymakers to develop their management planning and improve ecosystem services through restoration and conservation policies on Jeju Island.

Management methods for invasive species vary in their restoration success in the presence or absence of herbivores. We investigated the performance of understory plants after management of the invasive shrub Amur honeysuckle using two herbicide-based methods (cut/paint and basal application) in fenced and unfenced plots. The cut/paint method resulted in the removal of above-ground stems, while the basal application method resulted in the dead stems remaining in place. Light level in the cut/paint treatment was higher than in the basal application treatment, which was higher than in the control (no management) treatment. Across fencing treatments, fruit production, height, and subsequent recruitment of transplanted jewelweed were greater in the cut/paint treatment. Across management treatments, jewelweed plants were taller in the fenced treatment. Native species richness was generally higher in the cut/paint and basal application treatments than in the control treatment. There were more jewelweed recruits, more jewelweed fruits, and greater native species richness in the cut/paint treatment than in the basal application treatment in fenced plots, but these measures were similar in both management treatments in unfenced plots. Thus standing dead stems of Amur honeysuckle offered protection from damage in the presence of herbivores, offsetting the advantage of the cut/paint method seen in the fenced plots. There was a trend for more leaves of transplanted wild ginger in the basal application treatment. There were more invasive garlic mustard and more Amur honeysuckle seedlings in the cut/paint treatment than in the control treatment. Our results illustrate the complexities involved in selecting appropriate restoration management techniques given herbivore pressure, differential species response, and presence of multiple invasive species. In our study, we demonstrated that the basal application honeysuckle management method (and therefore perhaps similar methods that leave the dead stems standing) led to increased understory plant restoration success when compared to the cut/paint method.

Brazilian environmental law imposes more restrictions on land-use change by private landowners in riparian forests than in non-riparian forest areas, reflecting recognition of their importance for the conservation of biodiversity and key ecosystem services. A 22-year time series of classified Landsat images was used to evaluate deforestation and forest regeneration in riparian permanent preservation areas over the past two decades, focusing on the municipality of Paragominas in the state of Pará in eastern Amazonia. There was no evidence that riparian forests had been more effectively protected than non-riparian forests. Instead, deforestation was found to be comparatively higher inside riparian permanent preservation areas as recently as 2010, indicating a widespread failure of private property owners to comply with environmental legislation. There was no evidence for higher levels of regeneration in riparian zones, although property owners are obliged by law to restore such areas. A number of factors limit improvements in the protection and restoration of riparian forests. These include limited awareness of environmental compliance requirements, the need for improved technical capacity in mapping the distribution and extent of riparian forests and the boundaries of private properties, and improved access to the financial resources and technical capacity needed to support restoration projects.