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Functional Restoration of Desertified, Water-Limited Ecosystems: The Israel Desert Experience

Author

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  • Shayli Dor-Haim

    (The Dead-Sea and Arava Science Center (ADSSC), Masada National Park, Masada 86910, Israel
    The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer 84990, Israel)

  • David Brand

    (Beit-Yehoshua 4059100, Israel)

  • Itshack Moshe

    (Ashkelon 7874321, Israel)

  • Moshe Shachak

    (The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer 84990, Israel)

Abstract

Ecological restoration has recognized explicitly the recovery of ecosystem functions. The emphasis on ecosystem functions in restoration efforts can be defined as functional restoration. Functional restoration, i.e., rehabilitation of ecosystem functions, is particularly applicable to highly degraded landscapes such as desertified areas, where restoration to the original state is impossible. This review paper produced a general conceptual model of the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in water-limited ecosystems. The Israeli Negev Desert was used as a case study to test the model results in the field. We developed general guiding principles for functional restoration of degraded landscapes that integrate functional restoration methods and include four successive steps: (1) identifying the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in alternative states; (2) detecting drivers leading to degraded states; (3) functional restoration: changing the state of the degraded landscape; and (4) monitoring the impact of the restoration effort and assessing its success in terms of ecosystem services. Our case study, the Negev, provided us with insights on how to reverse desertification in water-limited systems by restoring source–sink networks as a subset of functional restoration. The four suggested steps of functional restoration are essential for ecosystem recovery in the Anthropocene.

Suggested Citation

  • Shayli Dor-Haim & David Brand & Itshack Moshe & Moshe Shachak, 2023. "Functional Restoration of Desertified, Water-Limited Ecosystems: The Israel Desert Experience," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:643-:d:1091786
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    References listed on IDEAS

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