A roadmap to coastal and marine ecological restoration in Australia

There is an urgent need for landscape-scale ecological restoration to reverse habitat loss and recover ecosystem functions and services. Given the unique nature of coastal and marine ecosystems a roadmap to overcome current barriers and guide transformative change is needed to achieve large-scale restoration. We conducted a national scale program of engagement with restoration practitioners, decision makers, industry, researchers, community groups, and Indigenous groups in Australia to map out the current state of implementation, barriers encountered and aspirations for the future. In collaboration with a graphic facilitator, we distilled the findings into ten guiding principles which are communicated through an engaging conceptual model. Here we articulate the ten guiding principles for large-scale coastal and marine ecological restoration and include discussion of the rational, the current state in Australia, and ideas for moving forward with respect to each principle. The principles are: 1) Co-design is central; 2) Fit-for-purpose governance; 3) No-gap funding; 4) Access to social, economic and biophysical data; 5) Evidence-based and transparent decision making; 6) Coordinated and at scale; 7) Robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting; 8) Clear strategy to adapt to climate change; 9) Nature-based solutions are implemented; and 10) Knowledge is shared effectively. We then evaluated the principles against three large-scale restoration programs in the UK, USA and Australia and found that their characteristics broadly adhere to each of the principles. Implementation of the roadmap is now necessary and will aid in achieving return of ecological functions in line with international commitments and societal goals.