The Future of Restoration

At the beginning of October this year, our Director of Business Development attended he Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) 2025 Biennial Conference in Denver. This brought together global leaders, scientists, and practitioners to discuss latest science, trends, and challenges for ecosystem restoration. Over four days of intensive sessions, he picked up on several critical themes, underscoring the shift towards more accountable, scalable, and scientifically grounded approaches to restoration practice. 

1. The Imperative of Global Standards and Accountability 

A central theme of the conference was the increasing demand for accountability and verifiable outcomes in restoration projects. As corporate and governmental commitments to nature-based solutions grow, so too does the need for robust frameworks to measure success. 

The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) was highlighted as a key framework for achieving long-term best practice. While comprehensive, its core principles are seen as vital for demonstrating good governance and ensuring that restoration efforts deliver genuine, lasting biodiversity uplift. Complementing this, the IUCN Green Status was presented as a powerful tool for tracking positive change, offering a universally understood metric for project success that benefits from the established credibility of the IUCN Red List. The consensus is clear: aligning projects with these high-level standards is no longer optional but essential for demonstrating credibility and impact. 

2. Addressing the Seed Supply Crisis 

Across all ecological settings, the availability, quality, and genetic diversity of native seed was consistently identified as one of the most significant barriers to successful restoration at scale. With global restoration pledges requiring trillions of seeds, the current capacity of global seed banks is simply insufficient. 

Innovative solutions presented at the conference focused on decentralisation and data access. The concept of developing smaller, localised restoration seed hubs was proposed to meet immediate needs, drawing on research that suggests less stringent storage conditions can be viable for short-term supplies. Furthermore, new digital tools are emerging to democratise access to critical seed trait data and collection knowledge, helping practitioners select the right species for resilient ecosystems. This shift highlights the need for deep, specialised knowledge in seed science to overcome this global bottleneck. 

3. Strategic Restoration in Complex Landscapes 

The conference showcased effective strategies for integrating ecological restoration into large-scale, complex environments, including industrial and post-industrial sites. 

Case studies demonstrated the power of strategic prioritisation through geospatial analysis. Companies are leveraging GIS habitat mapping to understand existing ecological assets and surrounding land use, allowing them to target interventions where they will yield the greatest ecological return. Furthermore, the efficacy of Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) was a major talking point. Low-cost interventions, such as the strategic use of framework species, were shown to significantly reduce overall restoration costs while promoting better ecological outcomes. These framework species act as ecological facilitators, accelerating the successional process for other native species. This approach underscores the value of combining ecological science with cost-effective, scalable techniques. 

4. Advanced Monitoring and Scaling Up 

The final key takeaway was the role of advanced technology and strategic planning in enabling more efficient and targeted restoration at scale. 

New technologies like LiDAR are being successfully used to predict forest structural complexity, which in turn helps prioritise areas for intervention. This allows for a more data-driven approach to restoration planning. Perhaps the most compelling example of strategic, large-scale planning was a project in Saudi Arabia, which successfully narrowed a vast restoration area down to the sites best suited for natural regeneration. This was achieved by combining extensive GIS mapping of vegetation and soil with crucial factors like water availability and local community buy-in. The project’s commitment to establishing its own seedbank, nurseries, and a restoration academy signals a long-term, self-sufficient model for success. 

Conclusion 

The SER 2025 conference confirmed that the restoration sector is rapidly maturing, embracing the latest technologies and techniques. The focus has shifted to implementing scientifically rigorous, data-driven, and scalable protocols. The future of restoration lies in integrating global standards, solving fundamental challenges like seed supply, and leveraging advanced technology to ensure every restoration effort delivers maximum, verifiable impact. This is precisely where the deep scientific knowledge of institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and its partners, is proving indispensable in translating research into real-world, impactful solutions.