Data from: A global meta-analysis on the ecological drivers of forest restoration success

Two billion ha have been identified globally for forest restoration. Our
meta-analysis encompassing 221 study landscapes worldwide reveals forest
restoration enhances biodiversity by 15–84% and vegetation structure by
36–77%, compared with degraded ecosystems. For the first time, we identify
the main ecological drivers of forest restoration success (defined as a
return to a reference condition, that is, old-growth forest) at both the
local and landscape scale. These are as follows: the time elapsed since
restoration began, disturbance type and landscape context. The time
elapsed since restoration began strongly drives restoration success in
secondary forests, but not in selectively logged forests (which are more
ecologically similar to reference systems). Landscape restoration will be
most successful when previous disturbance is less intensive and habitat is
less fragmented in the landscape. Restoration does not result in full
recovery of biodiversity and vegetation structure, but can complement
old-growth forests if there is sufficient time for ecological succession.