The eco-evolutionary history of Madagascar presents unique challenges to tropical forest restoration

High biodiversity and endemism combined with persistently high deforestation rates mark Madagascar as one of the hottest of biodiversity hotspots. Contemporary rising interest in large-scale reforestation, both globally and throughout Madagascar itself, presents a promising impetus for forest restoration and biodiversity conservation across the island. However, Madagascar may face unique restoration challenges due to its equally unique eco-evolutionary trajectory, which must be understood to enable successful ecological restoration. We conducted a systematic review of potential barriers to restoration for terrestrial forest biomes (rainforests, dry forests, subhumid highland forests) in Madagascar. Our results indicate that aboveground biomass recovery of Malagasy forests appears slower than other tropical forests. We suggest four key synergistic factors that inhibit restoration in Madagascar: (a) Lack of resilience to shifting nutrient and fire regimes arising from widespread high-inte...