PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Deevesh A. Hemraj
AU  - Melanie J. Bishop
AU  - Boze Hancock
AU  - Jay J. Minuti
AU  - Ruth H. Thurstan
AU  - Philine S.E. Zu Ermgassen
AU  - Bayden D. Russell
TI  - Global success in oyster reef restoration despite ongoing recovery debt
AID  - 10.1101/2022.01.23.477429
DP  - 2022 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2022.01.23.477429
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/01/24/2022.01.23.477429.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/01/24/2022.01.23.477429.full
AB  - Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss from exploitation of ecosystems have led to increased restoration and conservation efforts worldwide. Disturbed ecosystems accumulate a recovery debt – the accumulated loss of ecosystem services - and quantifying this debt presents a valuable tool to develop better ecosystem restoration practices. Here, we quantified the ongoing recovery debt following structural restoration of oyster habitats, one of the most degraded marine ecosystems worldwide. We found that whilst restoration initiates a rapid increase in biodiversity and abundance of 2- to 5-fold relative to unrestored habitat, recovery rate decreases substantially within a few years post-restoration and accumulated global recovery debt persists at >35% per annum. Therefore, while efficient restoration methods will produce enhanced recovery success and minimise recovery debt, potential future coastal development should be weighed up against not just the instantaneous damage to ecosystem functions and services but also the potential for generational loss of services and long-term recovery.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.