When is translocation required for the population recovery of old‐growth epiphytes in a reforested landscape?

It is often assumed that species recolonization follows from the restoration of key habitat structure. Thus, forest restoration focuses on the recovery of trees into deforested landscapes, so that a multitude of associated organisms can achieve “colonization credit” and recolonize from remnant source populations into restored habitat. This opportunity for recolonization exists because species vulnerable to habitat loss may experience an “extinction debt,” during which their remnant populations decline only slowly to equilibrium with a deforested landscape. These persistent but declining populations become propagule sources for recolonization. To test limits to “colonization credit,” this study focused on old‐growth dependent lichen epiphytes, using a simulation to identify a hypothetical threshold at which: (1) the number of remnant populations, and (2) their population sizes, are too low to achieve recolonization and population recovery, despite efforts placed into forest restoration. The results show that for a landscape scenario relevant to the industrialized temperate zone, with less than 5% of old‐growth forest remaining, and ambitions for restoration to circa 10–15% forest cover, there is a failure to achieve population recovery over long timescales (i.e. within 600 years), making translocation a necessary option. This delay represents a “colonization deficit” that may be a common feature in ecological restoration more generally.     

Eco‐evolutionary dynamics in restored communities and ecosystems

Recent ecological studies have revealed that rapid evolution within populations can have significant impacts on the ecological dynamics of communities and ecosystems. These eco‐evolutionary dynamics (EED) are likely to have substantial and quantifiable effects in restored habitats over timescales that are relevant for the conservation and restoration of small populations and threatened communities. Restored habitats may serve as “hotspots” for EED due to mismatches between transplanted genotypes and the restored environment, and novel interactions among lineages that do not share a coevolutionary history, both of which can generate strong selection for rapid evolutionary change that has immediate demographic consequences. Rapid evolution that influences population dynamics and community processes is likely to have particularly large effects during the establishment phase of restoration efforts. Finally, restoration activities and their associated long‐term monitoring programs provide outstanding opportunities for using eco‐evolutionary experimental approaches. Results from such studies will address questions about the effects of rapid evolutionary change on the ecological dynamics of populations and interacting species, while simultaneously providing critical, but currently overlooked, information for conservation practices.     

“How Local Is Local?”—A Review of Practical and Conceptual Issues in the Genetics of Restoration

In plant conservation, restoration (the augmentation or reestablishment of an extinct population or community) is a valuable tool to mitigate the loss of habitat. However, restoration efforts can result in the introduction of novel genes and genotypes into populations when plant materials used are not of local origin. This movement is potentially important because many plant species are subdivided into populations that are adapted to local environmental conditions. Here we focus on genetic concerns arising from ongoing restoration efforts, where often little is known about “How local is local?” (i.e., the geographic or environmental scale over which plant species are adapted). We review the major issues regarding gene flow and local adaptation in the restoration of natural plant populations. Finally, we offer some practical, commonsense guidelines for the consideration of genetic structure when restoring natural plant populations.     

Genetic and morphometric analysis of sixteenth century <Emphasis Type="Italic">Canis</Emphasis> skull fragments: implications for historic eastern and gray wolf distribution in North America

Resolving the taxonomy and historic ranges of species are essential to recovery plans for species at risk and conservation programs that aim to restore extirpated populations. In eastern North America, planning for wolf population restoration is complicated by the disputed historic distributions of two wolf species: the Old World-evolved gray wolf (Canis lupus) and the New World-evolved eastern wolf (C. lycaon). We used genetic and morphometric data from 4- to 500-year-old Canis samples excavated in London, Ontario, Canada to help clarify the historic range of these two wolf species in the eastern temperate forests of North America. We isolated DNA and sequenced the mitochondrial control region and found that none of the samples were of gray wolf origin. Two of the DNA sequences corresponded to those found in present day coyotes (C. latrans), but morphometric comparisons show an eastern wolf, not coyote, origin. The remaining two sequences matched ancient domestic dog haplotypes. These results suggest that the New World-evolved eastern wolf, not the gray wolf, occupied this region prior to the arrival of European settlers, although eastern-gray wolf hybrids cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, our data support the idea of a shared common ancestry between eastern wolves and western coyotes, and that the distribution of gray wolves at this time probably did not include the eastern temperate forests of North America.     

Ecological restoration and revegetation works in Korea

Korea established foundations for rapid economic growth and national development within a short period of time, but not without incidental problems of degradation to the natural environment. Problems include destruction of ecosystems and reduction of forest area. Nowadays, environment-friendly construction projects are required in Korea for efficient use and preservation of national land. In an effort to protect natural land four types of restoration and preservation plans have been proposed recently. This paper explores the status and value of these efforts and the problems of re-vegetation works on disturbed land in Korea. Korea still gives insufficient attention to species selection for re-vegetation in terms of ecological soundness. In restoring damaged areas, Korea still uses mainly exotic species. As a result, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation is revising design criteria for road slopes in consideration of climate and topography. The Ministry of Environment revised the Natural Environment Conservation Law and uses natural ecological restoration engineers and natural environment management operators as environment restoration specialists. These engineers and sectors specialize in the area of nature in reviews and ecological restoration works. The first national qualifying examination to select natural ecological restoration engineers and natural environment management operators took place in 2004. In an effort to seek systematic conservation for an eco-network, there have been attempts to designate the Baekdu Daegan, which runs south to north along the Korean Peninsula, and the Demilitarised Zone, which traverses east to west, as ecological axes. Efforts to survey the damaged habitats found in the Baekdu Daegan and to develop a restoration plan after designating restoration areas are being made. Moreover, in 2004, the National Assembly passed an Act on the Protection of the Baekdu Daegan Mountain System which will facilitate the designation of Baekdu Daegan into core and buffer areas and therefore its designation as a protected area. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is planning to increase green space in urban areas. In the case of the Cheonggyecheon stream restoration project, which was initiated as part of efforts to restore urban ecosystems, the removal of existing structures is nearing completion. Once it is finished, a highly diverse urban green corridor biosphere reserve will be created along with rooftop re-vegetation. The Seoul Metropolitan government plans to introduce programs to support rooftop re-vegetation projects. Various options are still under consideration or at a pilot stage, but once these efforts become more visible, they are likely to play a positive role in developing and preserving national land in Korea.     

The Restoration of Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, Canada: 1998–2005

In 1997, a plan to restore Elk (Cervus elaphus) to Ontario was approved by the provincial government. The objective of the Ontario elk restoration program, a multipartnered collaboration, was to restore a species that had been extirpated from the province during the 1800s. During 1998–2001, 460 elk were acquired from Elk Island National Park, Alberta, for release in four areas of Ontario. As greater than 90% of the elk were radio collared, monitoring provided detailed information on the dynamics of the four populations. Comprehensive research projects using graduate students were implemented to determine the environmental impact of releasing elk in Ontario. Those studies are in progress or have been completed and include the effect of wolf predation on restored elk, white‐tailed deer and elk resource overlap, the development of genetic profiles for elk, and solutions for elk/human conflicts. Mortality of the released elk averaged 41% (190/460) during 1998–2004 with annual mortality generally declining over time in each release area. The primary causes of elk mortality included wolf predation (25% of mortalities), illegal shooting (13%), stress‐related emaciation (13%) (partially due to the stress of relocation), bacterial infections (7%), and collisions with vehicles (6%). Productivity has been high in one of the release areas with 24–65% of the cows being observed with calves during late winter surveys. However, productivity has been low in two of the northern release areas due to a variety of factors including wolf predation. In some areas, dispersion of elk appeared to be related to the length of time animals were kept in pens prior to release. The precalving population estimate for Ontario in March 2004 was 375–440 elk. A comprehensive program review was conducted in 2003/2004 that included recommendations relating to the future management of elk in Ontario.     

A review of the world's active seabird restoration projects

Within the past several decades, seabird populations have been actively restored in locales where they were reduced or extirpated. Chick translocation, acoustic vocalization playbacks, and decoys are now used widely to lure breeding seabirds to restoration sites. In this first worldwide review of seabird restoration projects we evaluate the factors affecting project success or failure and recommend future directions for management. We identified 128 active restoration projects that were implemented to protect 47 seabird species in 100 locales spanning 14 countries since active restoration methods were pioneered in 1973. Active seabird restoration can achieve conservation goals for threatened and endangered species, and for species affected by anthropogenic impacts (e.g., oil spills, invasive species, fisheries). It also can be used to relocate populations from undesired breeding locales to more favorable locations, and to establish multiple breeding locations to reduce risks posed by catastrophic events. Active restoration can help to restore ecological processes, as large seabird colonies function to cycle marine nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems and create habitats for commensal species. Active restoration is especially appropriate where the original causes of decline are no longer working to suppress colony establishment and growth. Successful restoration efforts require careful planning and long-term commitments. We introduce the different forms of active seabird restoration techniques, review their utility for different seabird species, and use case studies to suggest how to optimize this technique to restore seabird species globally. Wildlife managers can use this review to guide their seabird restoration projects in the planning, implementation, and monitoring stages; tailor their restoration to seabird-specific life histories; and identify areas for further research to improve restoration utility in the future. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Ants as Indicators of the Success of Rehabilitation Efforts in Deposits of Gold Mining Tailings

The evaluation of the success of restoration efforts is an essential step for environmental monitoring programs, providing reliable and intricate information on the response of biotic and abiotic elements of ecosystem following the restoration programs adopted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different rehabilitation efforts after gold mining activities using ants as bioindicators. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) the ant species richness and composition vary with the technique of revegetation and (2) the number of epigaeic and hypogaeic ant species increases with resources. We selected four tailing dumps from gold mining, one spontaneously revegetated (“Natural”) and the other three areas with different rehabilitation techniques, namely: Grassy 2005—rehabilitation with grasses in 2005; Grassy 2006—rehabilitation with grasses in 2006, and Shrubby 2004—rehabilitation with grasses, herbaceous, and shrubs in 2004. Ants were sampled using epigaeic and hypogaeic pitfall traps. Species accumulation curves show that the “Natural” area has a higher number of species. We found differences in species composition of epigaeic and hypogaeic ants among the different areas sampled. We conclude that Camponotus fastigatus can be taken as a good indicator of environmental rehabilitation in areas impacted by mining activities. Moreover, Ectatomma edentatum, Dorymyrmex brunneus, Crematogaster evallans, and Solenopsis invicta can also indicate that the rehabilitation process is not yet completed.     

Genetic diversity and genetic structure of the endangered Manchurian trout, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis</Emphasis>, at its southern range margin: conservation implications for future restoration

The Manchurian trout, Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis (family: Salmonidae), is a cold freshwater fish endemic to Northeast Asia. South Korean populations of this species, which comprise its southern range limit, have recently decreased markedly in size and are now becoming critically endangered. We assessed the current population status of this species in South Korea by estimating the levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure of five natural and four restored populations using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences and eight nuclear microsatellite loci. Levels of within-population genetic diversity were low, suggesting that past effective population sizes (N _e) have been small. Each population had one or a maximum of two mtDNA haplotypes. Microsatellite allelic richness (AR) was significantly higher for natural populations (mean AR?=?3.51; 95% confidence interval, 3.00–4.03) than for restored populations (mean AR?=?2.61; 2.38–2.98). South Korean populations were significantly genetically isolated from one another, with private mtDNA haplotypes and microsatellite alleles, suggesting that limited gene flow has been occurring among populations. A mtDNA phylogeny revealed that South Korean lineages were more closely related to those of China than to those of North Korea and Russia. Overall, we suggest that future restoration efforts aimed at South Korean populations should consider the genetic characteristics reported here, which should help to fulfil effective conservation strategies for this highly cherished species. Our results will inform other conservation efforts, including assisted migration of freshwater fish populations at the equatorial end of the geographical range limit of the species.     

Science Driven Restoration: A Candle in a Demon Haunted World—Response to Cabin (2007)

Cabin (2007) asks whether formal science is an effective framework and methodology for designing and implementing ecological restoration programs. He argues that beyond certain ancillary benefits, restoration science has little of practical value to offer the practice of restoration. He goes on to suggest that restoration science most often represents an impediment to restoration practice because an “ivory tower” mentality limits the utility of experiments and diverts research dollars away from answering practical questions. His conclusion is that a nonscientific gardening approach may be more effective at restoring degraded ecosystems. We disagree with this perspective because: (1) restoration science has moved beyond exclusively using “square grids” placed on small patches of land to examine treatment effects on species representation; (2) Cabin’s critique greatly undervalues the contribution of science to restoration practice even where the input of restoration scientists is not directly evident; and (3) the practice of restoration is unlikely to advance beyond small‐scale and truly haphazard successes without well‐designed studies that can provide peer‐reviewed and widely accessible published information on the mechanisms underlying both successes and failures. We conclude that through integration with other disciplines, restoration science increasingly will provide novel approaches and tools needed to restore ecosystem composition, structure, and function at stand to landscape scales. As with the broader role of science in the human enterprise ( Sagan 1996 ), the contribution of restoration science to restoration practice can only grow as the discipline matures.     

DNA metabarcoding uncovers dispersal-constrained arthropods in a highly fragmented restoration setting

Degraded areas are often restored through active revegetation; however, recolonization by animals is rarely engineered. Recolonization may be rapid for species with strong dispersal abilities. However, poor dispersers, such as many flightless arthropods, may struggle to recolonize newly restored sites. Actively reintroducing or “rewilding” arthropods may therefore be necessary to facilitate recolonization and restoration of arthropod communities and the ecological functions they perform. However, active interventions are rare. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we asked whether potential source remnant arthropod communities were dispersal-constrained and struggling to recolonize restoration sites. Second, we tested whether reintroducing entire arthropod communities from remnant populations would help dispersal-constrained species establish during farmland ecological restoration in southern Australia. Rewilding was conducted in summer 2018 by transplanting leaf litter, soil, and entire communities contained within it from remnant source populations into geographically isolated restoration sites, which were paired with untreated controls (n = 6 remnant, rewilding transplant, and control sites). We collected leaf litter and extracted arthropod communities 19 months after the initial rewilding event, then sequenced mite, springtail, and insect communities using a metabarcoding approach. Within all groups, community similarity decreased with spatial distance between sites, suggesting significant dispersal barriers. However, only mite communities showed a strong response to rewilding, which was expressed as increased compositional similarity toward remnant sites and greater species richness relative to controls. Our results demonstrate that many arthropod species may struggle to recolonize geographically isolated restoration sites and that full community restoration requires active interventions via rewilding.     

A mapping technique to evaluate age‐0 salmon habitat response from restoration

To combat decades of anthropogenic degradation, restoration programs seek to improve ecological conditions through habitat enhancement. Rapid assessments of condition are needed to support adaptive management programs and improve the understanding of restoration effects at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Previous attempts to evaluate restoration practices on large river systems have been hampered by assessment tools that are irreproducible or metrics without clear connections to population responses. We modified a demonstration flow assessment approach to assess the realized changes in habitat quantity and quality attributable to restoration effects. We evaluated the technique's ability to predict anadromous salmonid habitat and survey reproducibility on the Trinity River in northern California. Fish preference clearly aligned with a priori designations of habitat quality: the odds of observing rearing Chinook or coho salmon within high‐quality habitats ranged between 10 and 16 times greater than low qualities, and in all cases the highest counts were associated with highest quality habitat. In addition, the technique proved to be reproducible with “substantial” to “almost perfect” agreement of results from independent crews, a considerable improvement over a previous demonstration flow assessment. These results support the use of the technique for assessing changes in habitat from restoration efforts and for informing adaptive management decisions.     

Attempted use of an uncommon bay scallop color morph for tracking the contribution of restoration efforts to population recovery

In our ongoing bay scallop restoration efforts in eastern Long Island, NY, United States, we have planted millions of hatchery‐reared juveniles to serve as broodstock when they mature. These plantings have driven the resurgence of larval recruitment, benthic population sizes, and commercial fishery landings over a 12‐year period. In this article, we detail an attempt to track the contribution of our restoration efforts to population rebuilding using planted “skunks,” an uncommon color morph, by looking for increased skunk frequencies in subsequent wild cohorts. Although we saw higher skunk frequencies among large juveniles in natural populations in the first 3 years after extensive skunk plantings, supporting use of uncommon color morphs as a passive tracer, this conclusion was not supported when examined over a 12‐year period, as no strong correlations were seen between skunk frequencies at different life stages (adult broodstock, small and large F1 juveniles, F1 adults) for respective cohorts. Potential reasons for poor correlation between skunk frequencies and restoration efforts include lower than expected production of skunk offspring, dilution of out‐planted contribution to growing natural populations, interannual variability in skunk frequencies that may have obscured the expected skunk signal, and/or differentially higher mortality of skunks at postset and larger juvenile stages. In the latter case, skunks experienced higher overwinter mortality, most likely due to predation, in 9 of 11 years. This led us to suspend skunk plantings after 3 years. Nevertheless, commercial fishermen perceived skunks to be “our” scallops, helping raise the profile of and support for our restoration efforts.     

Restoring species through reintroductions: strategies for source population selection

Only a quarter of reintroduction programs succeed in restoring a self‐sustaining population of an extirpated species. Optimal source population selection for restoration efforts can increase the fitness of translocated individuals and improve reintroduction success. Here, we describe the support for two strategies for selecting source populations: pre‐existing adaptation and adaptive potential. The pre‐existing adaptation strategy focuses on source populations with a high frequency of genotypes that confer adaptations, and within this strategy we detail the ancestry matching approach and environment matching approach. The adaptive potential strategy focuses on source populations with high heritable genetic variation that confer the potential to adapt, and within this strategy we detail the single source population approach and multiple source population approach. We review empirical tests of the different approaches, and find stronger support for the pre‐existing adaptation strategy than the adaptive potential strategy. We provide a framework for source population selection based on the two strategies, highlighting the importance of gathering information on key environment features in the source and restoration locations, as well as detail the knowledge gaps. Filling these knowledge gaps is important for validating and potentially revising our proposed framework, and ultimately improving the success rate of restoring extirpated populations.     

The business perspective in ecological restoration: issues and challenges

Much of the practice of restoration is conducted by businesses—contractors, consultants, designers, engineers. Restoration businesses interact with a variety of stakeholders to complete projects on time and on budget, and to achieve ecological and business objectives. Our research explores the business perspective in restoration; it is based on data collected from businesses (contractors, consultants, design engineers), agencies, and nongovernmental organizations involved in a Superfund cleanup project in Montana, one of the largest river restoration efforts ever. Our findings highlight several areas restoration businesses must navigate. First, restoration businesses must juggle potentially competing goals, maintaining ecological integrity while achieving profitability objectives. Second, these businesses must manage the risk that arises from variability in the natural environment as well as individuals' risk tolerances. Third, they must navigate the disconnect between “science” and “practice,” including how to best monitor restoration projects. Fourth, they must make decisions about new techniques and innovations. Fifth, on‐the‐ground implementation must acknowledge that personnels' motives and expertise might conflict with original plans. We discuss these findings in relation to relevant scholarly research, offering implications for theory and practice. For example, the business of ecological restoration requires learning over time to be profitable while achieving the desired ecological and social outcomes; restoration businesses leverage monitoring in pursuit of adaptive management and engage “frontline personnel” as important voices in the restoration process. Understanding the business of restoration adds an important perspective in the complex dynamics of social‐ecological systems.     

Spatial and temporal adjustments allowing the coexistence among carnivores in Liguria (N-W Italy)

We investigated the seasonal spatial and temporal co-occurrence of three carnivore species in Liguria region (NW Italy)—the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the European badger (Meles meles) and the wolf (Canis lupus)—using the information provided by camera-trapping monitoring. Data were collected from January 2013 to January 2015 by positioning camera traps in 200 sample stations. During 3479 trap days, we collected 1048 independent videos of target carnivore species, which revealed a general spatial coexistence among carnivores with some differences in seasonal occurrence of species. The red fox and the European badger showed temporal segregation, as their activity patterns suggested a differential use of night-time in all seasons. Activity patterns of the red fox and the wolf revealed moderate-high overlap and similar density distributions in all seasons except during winter. Coexistence between these species may be allowed by temporal segregation during winter and spatial segregation during spring. Finally, results regarding the European badger and the wolf suggest a moderate temporal segregation with a marked avoidance effect for the European badger induced by the presence of tracks left by wolves. Programmes aimed at carnivore conservation, and management should treat the entire guild, as it has been demonstrated that populations of different carnivores interact with each other in complex ways and that fine-scale mechanisms regulating carnivore assemblage influence different aspects of natural communities.     

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification of rodent blood meals confirms host sharing by flea vectors of plague

Elucidating feeding relationships between hosts and parasites remains a significant challenge in studies of the ecology of infectious diseases, especially those involving small or cryptic vectors. Black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a species of conservation importance in the North American Great Plains whose populations are extirpated by plague, a flea‐vectored, bacterial disease. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, we determined that fleas (Oropsylla hirsuta) associated with prairie dogs feed upon northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster), a rodent that has been implicated in the transmission and maintenance of plague in prairie‐dog colonies. Our results definitively show that grasshopper mice not only share fleas with prairie dogs during plague epizootics, but also provide them with blood meals, offering a mechanism by which the pathogen, Yersinia pestis, may be transmitted between host species and maintained between epizootics. The lack of identifiable host DNA in a significant fraction of engorged Oropsylla hirsuta collected from animals (47%) and prairie‐dog burrows (100%) suggests a rapid rate of digestion and feeding that may facilitate disease transmission during epizootics but also complicate efforts to detect feeding on alternative hosts. Combined with other analytical approaches, e.g., stable isotope analysis, molecular genetic techniques can provide novel insights into host‐parasite feeding relationships and improve our understanding of the role of alternative hosts in the transmission and maintenance of disease.     

Forward‐Looking Forest Restoration Under Climate Change—Are U.S. Nurseries Ready?

The pace of climate change suggests that restoration efforts once focused on past conditions should become more forward‐looking. Suggestions for such restoration emphasize the use of a suite of species adapted to a range of possible future climates. In forest restoration, opportunities for forward‐looking restoration may be limited by the availability of suitable stock from state and commercial nurseries. Presently, most state nurseries have stock potentially suited to warmer climates than currently exist in their states. However, these nurseries are generally not actively incorporating information about climate change into their stocking choices and some see clear obstacles to providing such stock, particularly uncertainty about the future climate, and the existence of seed zones and other policies designed to protect locally adapted species genetics. As restoration ecologists adapt their methods to incorporate climate change, state nurseries should be involved in those discussions and may be important partners in outreach.     

Can current native tree seedling production and infrastructure meet an increasing forest restoration demand in Brazil?

Recent global commitments have placed forest and landscape restoration at the forefront of countries' efforts to recover ecosystem services, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate the effects of climate change. However, it needs to be asked if current native tree seedling supply meets an increase in demand for forest restoration? This study assessed the current configuration, distribution, and production capacity of forest nurseries producing native trees in Brazil. Brazil provides an interesting example of how global agreements aligned with national policies can lead to the proliferation of native seedling nurseries, and the challenges faced to restore species‐rich native forest ecosystems. We found that the nurseries in the Atlantic Forest region can still meet an increase in demand—both in terms of seedling quantity and diversity—because most of their production capacity is not currently used. However, not all Brazilian biomes have sufficient nurseries to meet restoration demands, thus there is a risk of using native species from a few biogeographical regions in a much spatially wider and ecologically diverse area. In addition, lack of seed supply and qualified labor can hamper the growth of the market. Barriers to seed supply may also lead to low levels of genetic variability and floristic representation in the populations and ecosystems to be restored. We conclude that restoration of high‐diversity forest ecosystems requires policies and supportive programs, with emphasis on private nurseries, to guarantee adequate supply of native tree seedlings and provide the necessary incentives to develop the emergent economy of forest restoration.     

A spatial multicriteria decision analysis for selecting priority sites for plant species restoration: a case study from the Chilean biodiversity hotspot

Developing conservation strategies to restore populations of threatened species has been signaled as an important task by the Convention on Biological Diversity 2011–2020 targets. Species are being threatened not only by habitat loss and fragmentation but increasingly by climate change. As resources for conservation are often limited, and restoration is among the most expensive conservation strategies, developing approaches that help in the prioritization of areas for restoration efforts is a critical task. In this study, we propose a spatial multicriteria decision analysis (SMCDA) framework for identifying potential areas for plant species restoration initiatives that can explicitly take into account future climatic change. As a way to show how the framework can be applied, we took advantage of freely available niche modeling software and geospatial information to identify regional‐scale priority areas for restoration of two threatened endemic tree species (i.e. Bielschmiedia miersii and Pouteria splendens) of the “Chilean Winter Rainfall‐Valdivian Forest” Hotspot. The SMCDA framework allowed us not only to identify priority areas for species restoration but also to analyze how different environmental conditions and land‐use types may affect the selection of areas for species restoration. Our analysis suggests that the inclusion of climate change is a key factor to assess the potential areas for species restoration because species may respond differentially to future climatic conditions. This framework is conceived to be used as a complementary approach to available landscape‐scale spatial conservation planning tools.