{"id":107406,"date":"2025-06-09T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T07:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=107406"},"modified":"2025-06-09T09:38:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T07:38:57","slug":"same-ecosystem-different-fix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/science\/same-ecosystem-different-fix\/","title":{"rendered":"Same ecosystem, different fix"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

International research team shows nature restoration must be tailored to local conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the world focuses on repairing damaged ecosystems, especially with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and new EU Nature Restoration law in place, a new study sounds a clear message: when it comes to restoring nature, one size doesn\u2019t fit all. A team of scientists, led by the University of G\u00f6ttingen and Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, found that even ecosystems that look similar on the surface can respond very differently to the same restoration methods. If we want to bring back nature in a way that helps absorb carbon, keep water in the ground, and recycle nutrients, policy makers need to think locally. The findings were published in the journal Ecography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, researchers from around the world joined forces to study how to best restore dry, Mediterranean-style landscapes \u2013 places with wet winters and dry summers, like parts of the Mediterranean, California, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. These regions are under serious environmental stress and urgently need support. The team wanted to find out which combinations of native plants could best bring back the land\u2019s natural functions. Because these ecosystems are so vast and varied, they built a computer model \u2013 which works like a strategy computer game for scientists \u2013 to test how different plant mixes would perform in different soils and climates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The model matched up well with real-world results from a large restoration project in southwestern Australia. In addition, it showed that trying to achieve all goals at once \u2013 storing more carbon, saving water, and holding on to nitrogen \u2013 is tough. Compromises are often needed, and what works best depends a lot on local soil and climate conditions. \u201cThe great news is that this tool can help us choose the best plants for a local area, depending on what we want to achieve,\u201d said Dr Sebastian Fiedler, Postdoctoral Researcher at Technische Universit\u00e4t Berlin, who led this research at G\u00f6ttingen University and Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiedler continues: \u201cBut we\u2019re not done yet \u2013 right now, the model doesn\u2019t include things like wildfires, which are becoming more common and could change everything. That\u2019s our next step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n