Filling knowledge gaps to design effective strategies for restoring multifunctional Atlantic Forest landscapes

• Grant number: 25/16817-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Initial Project
• Start date: July 01, 2026
• End date: June 30, 2031
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Luiza de Carvalho
• Grantee: Raquel Luiza de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated researchers: Angelica Faria de Resende ; Clement Patrick Michel Harmange ; CRISTINA MARIA DO AMARAL AZEVEDO ; Daniel José Galafasse Lahr ; Diego Vinícius Anjos Silva ; Ellen Andresen ; Filipe Machado França ; Jean Paul Walter Metzger ; Mario Ribeiro de Moura ; Paula Ribeiro Prist ; Pedro Henrique Santin Brancalion ; Rafael Barreiro Chaves ; Rafaella Teixeira Maciel Oliveira ; Tiago Souza Salles
• Associated scholarship(s): 26/17512-4 - From restoration to human health: responses of culicid mosquitoes to forest restoration in the Atlantic Forest, BP.MS

Abstract

The loss of ecosystem integrity is considered a primary cause of biodiversity decline in tropical forests. This situation is concerning because forest species support vital ecosystem functions, while degraded areas increasingly host detrimental species, including disease vectors. In this context, restoration is an urgent global challenge, particularly in heavily degraded biomes like the tropical Atlantic Forest. To ensure effective outcomes, it is essential to address existing knowledge gaps and balance benefits with potential risks. Restoration efforts should move (1) beyond general guidelines by incorporating context-specific data, (2) include animals in goals and indicators, (3) consider multiple taxa and broader biodiversity components like functional diversity, and (4) evaluate the ecosystem functions, including both potential beneficial and detrimental ones. Our project will provide field-based evidence to guide effective reforestation in the Atlantic Forest, aiming to promote multifunctional restored ecosystems. It investigates how local and landscape-level environmental factors influence biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and multifunctionality in restored areas. In Research Challenges 1 and 2, the focus will be on dung beetles, bees, and culicid mosquitoes. In Research Challenge 3, additional taxa will be incorporated (including plants and other insects) to broaden the assessment of ecosystem multifunctionality. A fourth cross-cutting Research Challenge aims to promote integration between science and practice to achieve the objectives of the project and develop actionable guidance in restoration practices. (AU)