Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts

Unsworth, Richard; Sweet, Michael; Govers, Laura L.; der, Sophie von; Vergés, Adriana; Friess, Daniel A.; Jones, Benjamin L.H.; Monfared, Margaux A.A.; Steinfurth, Rune C.; Fariñas-Franco, Jose M.; Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C.; Banke, Timi L.; Tomas, Fiona; Lusk, Bowdoin W.; Mendzil, Anouska; Debney, Alison J.; Sanderson, William G.; Thomsen, Esther; Preston, Joanne; Lacey, Elizabeth A.; Boerder, Kristina; Walton, Rowana; Vadi, Tali; Brand, Jen; Paul, Maike

doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526

Journal article 215 views 15 downloads

Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts

Richard Unsworth

, Michael Sweet, Laura L. Govers, Sophie von der Heyden

, Adriana Vergés, Daniel A. Friess, Benjamin L.H. Jones, Margaux A.A. Monfared, Rune C. Steinfurth

, Jose M. Fariñas-Franco, Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth, Timi L. Banke

, Fiona Tomas, Bowdoin W. Lusk, Anouska Mendzil

, Alison J. Debney, William G. Sanderson, Esther Thomsen, Joanne Preston, Elizabeth A. Lacey

, Kristina Boerder, Rowana Walton, Tali Vadi, Jen Brand, Maike Paul

Cell Reports Sustainability, Volume: 2, Issue: 11, Start page: 100526

Swansea University Authors: Richard Unsworth , Anouska Mendzil

PDF | Version of Record

© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Download (23.9MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526

Abstract

Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining, necessitating global political and financial solutions to prioritize habitat restoration in a “blue revolution.” However, marine and coastal restoration faces major technical, logistical, and resource challenges that are exacerbated by climate change, which...

Full description

Published in:	Cell Reports Sustainability
ISSN:	2949-7906
Published:	Elsevier BV 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70626

first_indexed	2025-10-10T08:43:14Z
last_indexed	2025-12-13T05:30:03Z
id	cronfa70626
recordtype	SURis
fullrecord	<?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-12-12T13:04:15.0601653</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70626</id><entry>2025-10-10</entry><title>Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0036-9724</ORCID><firstname>Richard</firstname><surname>Unsworth</surname><name>Richard Unsworth</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>9fb29080ec8094dddaf0233f737b948a</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-3680-9958</ORCID><firstname>Anouska</firstname><surname>Mendzil</surname><name>Anouska Mendzil</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-10-10</date><deptcode>BGPS</deptcode><abstract>Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining, necessitating global political and financial solutions to prioritize habitat restoration in a “blue revolution.” However, marine and coastal restoration faces major technical, logistical, and resource challenges that are exacerbated by climate change, which must be urgently addressed. Unlike terrestrial restoration, marine efforts lack a long history or well-established methods, resulting in potentially high failure rates and a pressing need for innovation. As scientists and practitioners, we argue that scaling marine and coastal restoration requires policy reform, scientific advancement, and more adaptive regulatory frameworks. Current approaches are constrained by unrealistic ecological baselines and outdated assumptions about environmental stability. Licensing must move beyond recreating past habitats and instead support resilient ecosystems, ecological connectivity, and future colonization pathways. We need to rethink restoration for a changing world, guided by flexible systems that embrace uncertainty, integrate new technologies, and prioritize long-term coastal resilience over short-term fixes.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Cell Reports Sustainability</journal><volume>2</volume><journalNumber>11</journalNumber><paginationStart>100526</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>Elsevier BV</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>2949-7906</issnPrint><issnElectronic/><keywords>seagrass; coral; mangrove; saltmarsh; kelp; seaweed; algae; oysters; mussels</keywords><publishedDay>21</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-11-21</publishedDate><doi>10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Biosciences Geography and Physics School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>BGPS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Other</apcterm><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-12-12T13:04:15.0601653</lastEdited><Created>2025-10-10T09:39:26.8976102</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Richard</firstname><surname>Unsworth</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0036-9724</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Michael</firstname><surname>Sweet</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Laura L.</firstname><surname>Govers</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Sophie von der</firstname><surname>Heyden</surname><orcid>0000-0001-9166-976x</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Adriana</firstname><surname>Vergés</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Daniel A.</firstname><surname>Friess</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Benjamin L.H.</firstname><surname>Jones</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Margaux A.A.</firstname><surname>Monfared</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Rune C.</firstname><surname>Steinfurth</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3960-9799</orcid><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Jose M.</firstname><surname>Fariñas-Franco</surname><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Leanne C.</firstname><surname>Cullen-Unsworth</surname><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>Timi L.</firstname><surname>Banke</surname><orcid>0009-0001-1642-2297</orcid><order>12</order></author><author><firstname>Fiona</firstname><surname>Tomas</surname><order>13</order></author><author><firstname>Bowdoin W.</firstname><surname>Lusk</surname><order>14</order></author><author><firstname>Anouska</firstname><surname>Mendzil</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3680-9958</orcid><order>15</order></author><author><firstname>Alison J.</firstname><surname>Debney</surname><order>16</order></author><author><firstname>William G.</firstname><surname>Sanderson</surname><order>17</order></author><author><firstname>Esther</firstname><surname>Thomsen</surname><order>18</order></author><author><firstname>Joanne</firstname><surname>Preston</surname><order>19</order></author><author><firstname>Elizabeth A.</firstname><surname>Lacey</surname><orcid>0009-0001-9497-1363</orcid><order>20</order></author><author><firstname>Kristina</firstname><surname>Boerder</surname><order>21</order></author><author><firstname>Rowana</firstname><surname>Walton</surname><order>22</order></author><author><firstname>Tali</firstname><surname>Vadi</surname><order>23</order></author><author><firstname>Jen</firstname><surname>Brand</surname><order>24</order></author><author><firstname>Maike</firstname><surname>Paul</surname><orcid>0000-0002-7006-1867</orcid><order>25</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>70626__35298__520d7c8d1058456b8de6cb636b25a659.pdf</filename><originalFilename>70626.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-10-10T09:43:00.9711440</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>25056581</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling	2025-12-12T13:04:15.0601653 v2 70626 2025-10-10 Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f 0000-0003-0036-9724 Richard Unsworth Richard Unsworth true false 9fb29080ec8094dddaf0233f737b948a 0000-0002-3680-9958 Anouska Mendzil Anouska Mendzil true false 2025-10-10 BGPS Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining, necessitating global political and financial solutions to prioritize habitat restoration in a “blue revolution.” However, marine and coastal restoration faces major technical, logistical, and resource challenges that are exacerbated by climate change, which must be urgently addressed. Unlike terrestrial restoration, marine efforts lack a long history or well-established methods, resulting in potentially high failure rates and a pressing need for innovation. As scientists and practitioners, we argue that scaling marine and coastal restoration requires policy reform, scientific advancement, and more adaptive regulatory frameworks. Current approaches are constrained by unrealistic ecological baselines and outdated assumptions about environmental stability. Licensing must move beyond recreating past habitats and instead support resilient ecosystems, ecological connectivity, and future colonization pathways. We need to rethink restoration for a changing world, guided by flexible systems that embrace uncertainty, integrate new technologies, and prioritize long-term coastal resilience over short-term fixes. Journal Article Cell Reports Sustainability 2 11 100526 Elsevier BV 2949-7906 seagrass; coral; mangrove; saltmarsh; kelp; seaweed; algae; oysters; mussels 21 11 2025 2025-11-21 10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Other 2025-12-12T13:04:15.0601653 2025-10-10T09:39:26.8976102 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Richard Unsworth 0000-0003-0036-9724 1 Michael Sweet 2 Laura L. Govers 3 Sophie von der Heyden 0000-0001-9166-976x 4 Adriana Vergés 5 Daniel A. Friess 6 Benjamin L.H. Jones 7 Margaux A.A. Monfared 8 Rune C. Steinfurth 0000-0003-3960-9799 9 Jose M. Fariñas-Franco 10 Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth 11 Timi L. Banke 0009-0001-1642-2297 12 Fiona Tomas 13 Bowdoin W. Lusk 14 Anouska Mendzil 0000-0002-3680-9958 15 Alison J. Debney 16 William G. Sanderson 17 Esther Thomsen 18 Joanne Preston 19 Elizabeth A. Lacey 0009-0001-9497-1363 20 Kristina Boerder 21 Rowana Walton 22 Tali Vadi 23 Jen Brand 24 Maike Paul 0000-0002-7006-1867 25 70626__35298__520d7c8d1058456b8de6cb636b25a659.pdf 70626.pdf 2025-10-10T09:43:00.9711440 Output 25056581 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
spellingShingle	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts Richard Unsworth Anouska Mendzil
title_short	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
title_full	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
title_fullStr	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
title_full_unstemmed	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
title_sort	Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts
author_id_str_mv	b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f 9fb29080ec8094dddaf0233f737b948a
author_id_fullname_str_mv	b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f_*_Richard Unsworth 9fb29080ec8094dddaf0233f737b948a_*_Anouska Mendzil
author	Richard Unsworth Anouska Mendzil
author2	Richard Unsworth Michael Sweet Laura L. Govers Sophie von der Heyden Adriana Vergés Daniel A. Friess Benjamin L.H. Jones Margaux A.A. Monfared Rune C. Steinfurth Jose M. Fariñas-Franco Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth Timi L. Banke Fiona Tomas Bowdoin W. Lusk Anouska Mendzil Alison J. Debney William G. Sanderson Esther Thomsen Joanne Preston Elizabeth A. Lacey Kristina Boerder Rowana Walton Tali Vadi Jen Brand Maike Paul
format	Journal article
container_title	Cell Reports Sustainability
container_volume	2
container_issue	11
container_start_page	100526
publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
issn	2949-7906
doi_str_mv	10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526
publisher	Elsevier BV
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str	School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str	1
active_str	0
description	Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining, necessitating global political and financial solutions to prioritize habitat restoration in a “blue revolution.” However, marine and coastal restoration faces major technical, logistical, and resource challenges that are exacerbated by climate change, which must be urgently addressed. Unlike terrestrial restoration, marine efforts lack a long history or well-established methods, resulting in potentially high failure rates and a pressing need for innovation. As scientists and practitioners, we argue that scaling marine and coastal restoration requires policy reform, scientific advancement, and more adaptive regulatory frameworks. Current approaches are constrained by unrealistic ecological baselines and outdated assumptions about environmental stability. Licensing must move beyond recreating past habitats and instead support resilient ecosystems, ecological connectivity, and future colonization pathways. We need to rethink restoration for a changing world, guided by flexible systems that embrace uncertainty, integrate new technologies, and prioritize long-term coastal resilience over short-term fixes.
published_date	2025-11-21T05:33:19Z
_version_	1856896394477961216
score	11.096068

Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts

Similar Items