On the need for biocultural approaches to restoration

1. Ecological restoration is gaining global momentum for climate mitigation, yetits prevailing approach, often rooted in Western technical science, frequentlyappears neutral while inadvertently reinforcing power imbalances and sidelininglocal knowledge.2. We argue for biocultural restoration approaches that go beyond communityparticipation by explicitly integrating cultural meanings, knowledge systems, andpower relations into restoration planning and governance. We frame restorationas an inherently socio-political act, rather than a neutral fix to a broken nature.3. The approach integrates three core principles and tools: political ecology, whichacknowledges and addresses unequal power dynamics influencing restoration;landscape biographies, offering a comprehensive historical understandingof human–nature interactions to inform restoration goals and prevent theperpetuation of injustices; and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), whichprovides invaluable local insights on ecosystem functioning and contributesto decolonising restoration practices while empowering local communities.Restoration researchers and practitioners must ensure that restoration effortstruly serve the diverse values and needs of local population