Are Socioeconomic Benefits of Restoration Adequately Quantified? A Meta-analysis of Recent Papers (2000-2008) in Restoration Ecology and 12 Other Scie

Aronson, J; Blignaut, JN; Milton, SJ; et al. Are Socioeconomic Benefits of Restoration Adequately Quantified? A Meta-analysis of Recent Papers (2000-2008) in Restoration Ecology and 12 Other Scientific Journals RESTORATION ECOLOGY, 18 (2): 143-154 MAR 2010

This paper reviews 1,582 peer-reviewed papers dealing with ecological restoration to determine how restoration scientists link socioeconomic factors into their restoration projects. Most papers do not address socioeconomic factors. Less than 10% of the papers address policy implications of restoration; only 3% of the papers evaluated projects using interviews; and most papers do not reference ecosystem services. Another key finding is that restoration projects are unevenly distributed around the globe. Almost three-quarters of the projects based in host countries with high incomes.

While I thought this paper would shed some light on how socio-economic factors are incorporated, the authors primarily made recommendations from a soapbox about how authors should use socioeconomic factors. The authors claim that conservation scientists have “not yet recognized the benefits of creating a new market for conservation.” They recommend that “Whenever possible, authors of papers and reports should be encouraged to mention or discuss specific policies, financing, and/or funding opportunities that exist to finance restoration.” Or the funding needed for restoration will not be “forthcoming.” They make no suggestions about how to address the imbalance of restoration between rich and poor countries.

In short, this paper reads like an industry propaganda piece.