Rewilding Degraded Agricultural Land: Biodiversity Recovery Trajectories Over 20 Years
Martinez, E., Garcia, F., Lopez, M., Sanchez, R., Torres, A.. Rewilding Degraded Agricultural Land: Biodiversity Recovery Trajectories Over 20 Years. LRES.
Vol.2, No.1. Jun 2026. https://doi.org/10.58923/lres.2026.0102
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Highlights
- Land rewilding—the passive or active restoration of degraded agricultural land to natural ecosystems—offers simultaneous benefits for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem service provision.
- We analyze biodiversity recovery trajectories at 34 rewilded sites across Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal biomes over 20 years, comparing spontaneous recovery against active restoration interventions.
- Vascular plant species richness recovers to 73% of reference communities within 15 years under passive rewilding, while vertebrate diversity lags at 52% due to dispersal limitation.
Abstract
Land rewilding—the passive or active restoration of degraded agricultural land to natural ecosystems—offers simultaneous benefits for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem service provision. We analyze biodiversity recovery trajectories at 34 rewilded sites across Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal biomes over 20 years, comparing spontaneous recovery against active restoration interventions. Vascular plant species richness recovers to 73% of reference communities within 15 years under passive rewilding, while vertebrate diversity lags at 52% due to dispersal limitation. Active interventions (seed addition, predator reintroduction) accelerate recovery by 4-7 years and improve functional diversity metrics. Carbon stocks reach 68% of reference forest levels within 20 years, providing substantial climate mitigation co-benefits.