Journal article
Assisted Natural Regeneration in Brazil: a synthesis of the available evidence
Trees, Forests and People, Vol.16, pp.1-11
2026
Abstract
Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) has emerged as a promising approach for scaling up ecological restoration, particularly in tropical countries such as Brazil, where extensive areas exhibit high natural regeneration potential. However, the state of ANR research and its effectiveness relative to other restoration approaches remain poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize evidence on ANR in Brazil and compare its ecological outcomes with those of full-area planting (FP), natural regeneration (NR), and reference forests. A total of 24 studies met the criteria for quantitative synthesis. Ecological responses were quantified using the log response ratio (lnRR) and analyzed with multilevel mixed-effects models. Our review showed that ANR research in Brazil is concentrated in the Atlantic Forest and Amazon biomes, primarily addresses early restoration stages, and rarely incorporates fauna-related indicators. Ecological outcomes under ANR showed high variability and overlapped with those observed under FP and NR. Although overall differences among restoration strategies were not statistically significant, ANR with enrichment exhibited ecological performance comparable to FP, whereas FP tended to outperform ANR without enrichment. Reference forests consistently exhibited higher ecological values than ANR areas. These findings indicate that ANR may provide ecological outcomes comparable to intensive restoration approaches under suitable conditions, particularly when combined with enrichment interventions. However, restoration outcomes are strongly context-dependent, and important knowledge gaps remain, including limited long-term evidence, restricted biome coverage, and lack of standardized monitoring approaches. Addressing these limitations will be essential to strengthen the evidence base and support ANR implementation in Brazil.
Details
- Title
- Assisted Natural Regeneration in Brazil: a synthesis of the available evidence
- Authors
- Artur Malecha (Corresponding Author) - Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroLuisa F. Liévano-Latorre - International Institute for SustainabilityAline F. Rodrigues - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroIsabelle Pepe - International Institute for SustainabilityDanielle Vilela - International Institute for SustainabilityMariana Iguatemy - International Institute for SustainabilityStella Manes - International Institute for SustainabilityFrederico T.S. Miranda - International Institute for SustainabilityTatiana Botelho - International Institute for SustainabilityCarlos Alberto Scaramuzza - International Institute for SustainabilityTomiwa Oluwajuwon - University of the Sunshine CoastAgnieszka E. Latawiec - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroBernardo Strassburg - International Institute for SustainabilityRobin Chazdon - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
- Publication details
- Trees, Forests and People, Vol.16, pp.1-11
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101416
- ISSN
- 2666-7193
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).
- Data Availability
- The data supporting the findings of this study are available in the Supplementary Material accompanying this article.
- Grant note
- This study was developed within the scope of the project Enabling the Expansion of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Brazilian Forested Ecosystems, funded by the Bezos Earth Fund.
- Organisation Unit
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991247285302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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