Climate change and land use (e.g., grazing, solar farms, mining) contribute to the loss of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) and associated ecosystem degradation. Biocrusts are composed of mosses, lichens, liverworts and cyanobacteria, alone or in any combination at the soil surface. Cultivating biocrusts for reintroductions into degraded ecosystems could support restoration efforts, but effective methods are still emerging. We built a fog chamber to test cultivation of two mosses (Homalothecium aureum and Syntrichia ruralis) and two lichens (Peltigera rufescens and Cladonia spp.) common in intermountain west biocrust communities. Each taxon was tested in intact and disaggregated forms. We hypothesized that disaggregated samples would grow better than the intact ones, and the mosses would grow faster than lichens. Results showed that disaggregated mosses and lichens produced a minimum of 50% more healthy tissue than intact mosses and lichens, but lichens failed to grow well in either condition. Fog cultivation may be a promising method for mosses, but not for lichens under these conditions.

How should we assess and judge the harm inflicted by egregious wrongdoing and how should we respond to such wrongdoings after they have occurred? These are the questions this contribution tackles from an African communitarian Ubuntu worldview that centres the humanity of everyone impacted in both its understanding of wrongdoing and remedy. It argues that restoration of shared humanity is regarded as the primary and ultimate function of justice in the African systems of political thought.

Biodesign is an emerging field that brings together a wide range of practices, connecting fundamental research, applied sciences and creative approaches. Within this spectrum, a tension exists between instrumental uses of biological processes and a growing sensibility that acknowledges the agency of living materials and organisms. This study proposes reconciliation as a guiding concept for biodesign, understood not as a metaphorical gesture but as a concrete and plural perspective that promotes species coexistence and conservation. We contextualise reconciliation through restoration, reciprocity and relationality as distinctive yet interconnected design and ecological principles that extend beyond normative human exchange, promoting multispecies coexistence. Through a mix of reflexive thematic synthesis and the analysis of selected case studies derived from the authors’ own projects, employed as a practice-based methodological inquiry and primary source of empirical and reflective insight, we explore how reconciliation is enacted and experienced in practice. Finally, we propose a conceptual framework to address reconciliation in biodesign, offering guiding concepts and key questions to discuss and support ecological flourishing in multispecies collaborations.

Conservation of fragile and fragmented archaeological remains can be essential to their preservation and study. Here, the authors use the example of the approximately 75 000-year-old Shanidar Z Neanderthal to illustrate the importance of appropriate conservation from excavation to the laboratory, and of the detailed documentation of this process, for enabling anatomical and taphonomic research.

Gypsum-rich soils have unusual characteristics that make them a haven for rare and endemic species and a target for disturbance, such as mining. To restore habitat and determine best practices for native plant reestablishment, we conducted a factorial, randomized complete block experiment in disturbed areas with gypsum-rich soils in the Mojave Desert, testing the interactive effect of seeding endemic plant species, out-planting shrubs grown with or without live native soil, biocrust inoculum and psyllium husk as a soil stabilizer. Biocrust inoculation and seeding were both needed treatments to increase the abundance of native biota, increasing biocrust cover in inoculated plots 13 times more than in uninoculated plots, and there was no passive recovery of the vascular plants; however, these factors had no interactive effect after 3 years. Soil stability generally increased across all treatments through time, though soil resistance to shear stress was reduced by biocrust, and soil aggregate stability was increased by psyllium. Shrub planting was unsuccessful, with near total mortality. Both seeding and biocrust inoculation were vital to increase the cover of perennial plants and biocrust organisms. This work reinforces the need for active restoration techniques in degraded dryland ecosystems.

Ubiquitous human disturbances urgently demand scalable dryland restoration, yet conventional approaches often fail under extreme climates, degraded soils and sparse vegetation. The use of microbes in restoration offers potential utility in extreme cases. While microbes support critical ecosystem functions – from nutrient cycling to stress resilience – their practical application remains inconsistent due to context dependency and mismatched priorities. Analyzing 699 dryland restoration cases, including 190 inoculation experiments, across three decades of successful and unsuccessful case studies, we found that inoculations generally yield positive outcomes, likely due to the widespread use of locally sourced inocula. However, these successes primarily target plant growth rather than restoring broader ecosystem functions. To bridge this gap, we present MICROB, a step-by-step decision framework that transforms microbial theory into an operational tool. By prioritizing practitioner-centered needs (Make it local, Identify priorities) and acknowledging that interventions are unnecessary where functional redundancy (Redundancy and function) or concomitant recovery (Concomitant recovery) suffices, this framework ensures that microbial tools enhance – rather than replace – existing aboveground strategies. Through feasible field implementation (Operate in field) and realistic financial planning (Budget considerations), we propose a scalable method that uses targeted soil conditioning to bypass costly molecular monitoring, providing an economically viable pathway to transform theoretical microbial inference into a practitioner-friendly tool for dryland restoration.

The rapid spread of non-native perennial grasses across South American savannas poses a growing threat to native plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. They disrupt key ecological processes, including fire regimes, nutrient cycling and plant community dynamics, driving the loss of functional diversity and the homogenization of native vegetation. This review compiles current knowledge on the ecological impacts of the nine most invasive perennial grass species in South American savannas and the challenges faced in controlling them, with a particular emphasis on the Brazilian Cerrado. We examine the mechanisms by which they outcompete native species, alter soil–plant interactions and inhibit natural regeneration. Particular attention is given to the ecological traits that confer competitive advantages to these invasive grasses under conditions of disturbance, increased nutrient availability and climate change. We also evaluate the challenges faced in the ecological restoration of invaded areas and discuss integrated strategies for controlling invasions and promoting the recovery of native species. This synthesis underscores the urgent need to address invasions by non-native grasses through coordinated research, new policies and management efforts aimed to safeguard the long-term biodiversity and ecological resilience of South American savannas.

Near-shore marine habitats are well-documented as diverse and productive social-ecological systems; their degradation and loss have led to growing interest in marine restoration. However, the literature offers limited consideration of the interactions between these projects and stakeholders and local communities. We present a case study showing how a stakeholder engagement strategy ultimately led to the co-production of a marine restoration project among scientists, stakeholders and local communities. Alongside biological recovery, we present the complex social, logistical and ecological lessons learned through this stakeholder engagement strategy. Principally, these relate to how the success of the project hinged on the point at which the project was co-developed with the input of local communities and strategic stakeholders, rather than in a disconnected, independent manner. This project demonstrates that for marine restoration to truly be successful, projects need to engage and work with local people from the outset, through open and early stakeholder engagement and particularly with the people possibly impacted by its presence. Projects need to be created not just for ecological design but also to be relevant and beneficial to a wide range of people. What we show here is that co-producing a project with communities and stakeholders can be complex but lead to long-term sustainability and support for the project, with strong ecological outcomes. To achieve this requires an open and flexible approach. Finally, this work showcases how the restoration of marine habitats can be achieved within a social-ecological system and lead to benefits for people and the planet.

Tree of heaven [Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle] is an invasive tree that inhibits regeneration of forests. Management of forests invaded by A. altissima often includes chemically treating it and leaving dead boles behind. Verticillium wilt (Verticillium nonalfalfae) infects some populations of A. altissima, leading to localized mortality. Areas with population-wide A. altissima mortality may increase as this disease spreads or is used as a biocontrol agent. Ailanthus altissima has documented allelopathic compounds; stems left to decompose may result in soil legacy effects that negatively impact native plant restoration. The goal of this study was to determine whether soil under decomposing A. altissima wood has negative impacts on native perennial plant germination and growth. Ailanthus altissima was grown in a garden for 4 yr, basally cut, and treated with herbicide. The stems were sectioned and stacked into piles to decompose for 18 mo on grass and garden fabric, after which the wood was mulched. Soil from cores taken under each woodpile was added over potting media in pots in which seeds of three native perennials (purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench], dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.), and false nettle [Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw.]) were planted. Seeds for half the pots were covered with potting media or mulch, respectively. The plants were grown under high- and low-light conditions in a greenhouse for 3 mo. Germinations were tallied, and dry shoot biomass was determined. Pots with woodpile soil had lower germination and biomass production for two of the native species, but mulch reduced the impact. Biomass was greater for all soil treatments with mulch added compared with treatments with no mulch. Plants growing in soil under garden fabric had germination values similar to plants in woodpile soil. This study reveals that soil under decomposing A. altissima wood is likely to negatively impact germination and growth of some newly seeded species for at least 18 mo.