REVIEW ON THE RESTORATION OF MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS IN EUROPE

Many mountain ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic pressure and climate change.
Ecological restoration is currently one of the main global efforts to conserve, but also to restore
biodiversity, ecosystem services and improve socio-economic conditions. The extent of
conservation efforts in Europe's mountain ecosystems is unknown due to a lack of synthesis of
research in this field. In this paper, based on a review of studies published in the last ten years,
we identify thematic research gaps, assess the database regarding restoration actions,
highlighting both enabling and hindering factors for restoration success. We also summarize
new socio-economic and technological approaches and solutions introduced in the field. We
found that the number of publications on the progress in restoration of European mountain
ecosystems is small, and those that do exist are geographically and thematically limited case
studies. Most of the case studies focus on restoring forest ecosystems following extreme events,
followed by hydrological restoration of rivers, peatlands and heathland habitats. There are few
studies that address the role of fauna and indicator species in restoration. A limited number of
studies address the issue of conservation policies, offering solutions and new methodologies. In
the end, we propose some directions for future research in this domain.