Integrating belowground recovery into tropical forest restoration design and monitoring.

ABSTRACT: There is growing recognition that tropical forest restoration is key for sequestering carbon and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Soils, roots, and soil biota are central to ecosystem function and services, but belowground recovery is largely overlooked in restoration monitoring frameworks. Here, we outline current understanding of the links between above- and belowground recovery in tropical forests by examining how belowground properties before and after intervention influence recovery; by evaluating whether aboveground recovery can serve as a proxy for belowground dynamics; and by proposing a blueprint for monitoring dynamic soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (organic matter or carbon, pH), and biological properties (decomposition rate, macrofauna abundance) in r

SUBMITTER: Toro L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12650528 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature