This year marks the start of the United Nations’ Decade of Ecological Restoration. Restoration of damaged habitats to a self-sustaining state (which may not necessarily be identical to their original state) requires close collaboration between ecologists and land managers. Leger et al. describe practical aspects of such a partnership in the restoration of degraded grassland habitats in the Great Basin region of the United States. The authors compared the restoration potential of seeds of grass species sourced from remnant native habitat with seeds from commercial sources. The wild-collected seeds showed more promising performance, as measured by phenotypic traits. In turn, these seeds can be selected for enhanced agronomic production, increasing the supply available for more effective restoration.
Restor. Ecol. 29, e13260 (2021).
