Ecosystem loss has reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services globally, fueling ecosystem restoration. However, restoration involves trade-offs and synergies between competing objectives concerning biodiversity, ecosystem services and cost. Previous efforts to identify priority restoration areas have tended to focus on single objectives, failing to characterize the full breadth of trade-offs among objectives, or neglected socioeconomic objectives such as cost reduction, thus constraining transparent, inclusive, and participatory decision-making. Here, we implement a multi-objective optimization approach that maximizes biodiversity, maximizes ecosystem services, and minimizes restoration costs to identify priority areas for mangrove restoration, using Indonesia as a case study. Solutions vary spatially along with variations in biodiversity and ecosystem service restoration and restoration costs. We identify a solution that balances competing objectives, restoring high levels of biodiversity and moderate levels of ecosystem services at low costs. We underscore geomorphic settings as a driver of trade-offs and synergies among mangrove restoration objectives. We also highlight priority areas that have not been identified previously, indicating opportunities for future restoration to enhance biodiversity restoration. This study underscores the role of multi-objective optimization in transparent and flexible decision-making in identifying optimal solutions to maximize restoration benefits and minimize costs.
promotor/supervisor feedback
nothing yet
