It is important to select a restoration approach (or combination of approaches) that will best harness what may remain of a site’s regeneration potential – and/or complement it with just the right amount and quality of reintroduction.
Making an informed decision requires
(i) an understanding of indicators of recovery capacity and
(ii) experience of the potential and limits of a range of restoration interventions.
Here are some examples to illustrate each of the four approaches.
1. Spontaneous regeneration – actions that remove the direct causes of the degradation to allow natural recovery
1a. Reducing Stressors on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/conserving-and-restoring-biodiversity-of-the-great-barrier-reef-through-the-representative-areas-program-rap/
1b. Ceasing clearing to allow Brigalow regrowth, Queensland
https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/68424/brigalow-management-guideline.pdf
1c. Restoring Fish Passage in the Murray River
https://www.dpird.nsw.gov.au/dpi/fishing/fish-passage-nsw/fish-passage-projects
http://www.mdba.gov.au/publications/mdba-reports/sea-hume-dam-paper
1d. Fencing Broken Hill Regeneration Reserves, New South Wales (video)
https://www.aabr.org.au/portfolio-items/renewal-in-the-desert/
1e. Fencing to exclude grazing within remnants on farms, South Australia
https://www.landscape.sa.gov.au/saal/news/fencing-allows-for-regeneration
1f. Some sensible fencing tips, Tasmania
https://www.landcaretas.org.au/pete_s_fencing_tips
2. Facilitated regeneration – interventions that can kick start recovery.
A range of actions are commonly applied. The distinction between these actions and those for spontaneous regeneration is the degree of active intervention within the site or sites that is necessary before regeneration can occur.
2 (i) Reinstating hydrological regimes or water harvesting:
2a. Long Swamp Wetland restoration, freshwater, Victoria
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/long-swamp-discovery-bay-coastal-park-victoria/
2b. Marra Creek waterponding, chenopod shrublands, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2019/10/21/waterponding-the-marra-creek-nsw-rangelands-update-of-emr-feature/
2c. Phoenix Flats, Kooragang saltmarsh, New South Wales
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/545605/FFRS-22_Williams-et-al-2000.pdf
2d. Installing brush along contours, on denuded slopes, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/brush-pack-experiment-in-restoration-how-small-changes-can-avoid-leakage-of-resources-and-underpin-larger-scale-improvements-for-restoration-and-rehabilitation/
2 (ii) Grazing management:
2e. Grazing for regeneration 1, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2019/09/30/more-than-just-a-long-paddock-fostering-native-vegetation-recovery-in-riverina-travelling-stock-routes-and-reserves-update-of-emr-feature/
2f. Grazing for regeneration 2, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/learning-from-the-coreen-tsrs-and-scaling-up-biodiversity-recovery-works-at-hundreds-of-sites-in-the-riverina-nsw-2/
2 (iii) Applying fire or fire plus weed control:
2g. Post fire facilitated regeneration, Lane Cove NP, New South Wales
https://www.aabr.org.au/_upload/MemberPublications/LaneCoveBushcareEMR.pdf
2h. Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub burning for regeneration, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2019/10/10/esbs-is-fire-the-key-to-restoration-update-to-emr-summary/
2i. Gap Road forested wetland regeneration, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/forested-wetland-regeneration-project-the-gap-road-woodburn-nsw/
2j. Sheldon Forest fire piles, New South Wales
https://www.aabr.org.au/_upload/MemberPublications/LearningFromSheldon.pdf
2l. Post wildfire transformation Scottsdale reserve, Bredbo, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2021/05/02/post-fire-assisted-regeneration-at-scottsdale-reserve-bredbo-nsw/
2 (iv) Systematically removing competition (e.g. from weed or pest animals):
2m. Facilitated regeneration works at Numinbah, Queensland
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2025/04/10/facilitating-the-natural-regeneration-of-numinbah-conservation-area-queensland-update-of-project-summary-update-of-emr-summary-ford-j-march-2016-restoration-at-numinbah-conservation-a/
2n. Rotary Park regeneration project, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/rotary-park-regeneration-project-lismore-nsw/
2o. Rocky Creek Dam rainforest restoration, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/subtropical-rainforest-restoration-at-the-rous-water-rainforest-reserve-rocky-creek-dam-1983-2016/
ALSO SEE
https://www.aabr.org.au/_upload/MemberPublications/WoodfordRockyCreekFeature.pdf
2p. Wompoo Gorge, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/rainforest-restoration-on-private-land-wompoo-gorge-huonbrook-nsw/
2q. Big Scrub Rainforest conservancy remnant regeneration, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2019/09/14/developments-in-big-scrub-rainforest-restoration-update-of-emr-feature/
2r. Feral animal control, Shark Bay, Western Australia
https://www.sharkbay.org/restoration/project-eden/feral-animal-control%EF%BB%BF/
2s. Macquarie Island rabbit eradication, sub-Antarctic
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/macquarie-island-pest-eradication-program-impacts-on-vegetation-and-seabirds/
2t. Lord Howe Island habitat restoration, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/lord-howe-island-biodiversity-restoration-and-protection-programs-nsw-australia/
3. Combined regeneration and reintroduction
3a. Donahy’s Corridor rainforest linkage, Queensland
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/donaghys-corridor-restoring-tropical-forest-connectivity/
3b. Port Phillip Bay Oyster reef restoration, Victoria
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/case-study-restoring-the-lost-shellfish-reefs-of-port-phillip-bay/
3c. Project Eden pest animal control and native faunal reintroductions, Western Australia
https://www.sharkbay.org/restoration/project-eden/
3d. Ned’s Corner integrated restoration, Victoria
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/recovering-biodiversity-at-trust-for-natures-neds-corner-station-victoria/
3e. Marra Creek waterponding, chenopod grasslands, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2019/10/21/waterponding-the-marra-creek-nsw-rangelands-update-of-emr-feature/
3f. Allendale holistic regenerative grazing management, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2023/04/29/holistic-regenerative-management-on-a-grazing-farm-allendale-boorowa-is-leading-to-more-complex-native-pastures-and-increased-biodiversity/
3g. The Waterways, Victoria
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2018/07/11/recovery-of-indigenous-plants-and-animals-in-revegetated-areas-at-the-waterways-victoria/
3h. Alpine Bogs and Fens, New South Wales
https://theaustralianalpsnationalparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/restoration-mires.pdf
4. Examples of a full reintroduction approach – rebuilding from ‘scratch’
The art and science of this approach pivots around the question “How do we rebuild this ecosystem when there is little if anything of it left on site?” Many projects around Australia, both terrestrial and aquatic, are facing this challenge head-on, supported by innovative research and practice, with promising results.
4a. Monjebup North, Gondwana Link, Western Australia
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/defining-reference-communities-for-ecological-restoration-of-monjebup-north-reserve-in-gondwana-link/
4b. Peniup, Gondwana Link, Western Australia
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/peniup-ecological-restoration-project/
4c. Banksia woodland post-sand extraction, Western Australia
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/post-sand-extraction-restoration-of-banksia-woodlands-swan-coastal-plain-western-australia//
4d. Palm oil to rainforest, Daintree, Queensland
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/from-rainforest-to-oil-palms-and-back-again-a-daintree-rainforest-rescue-in-far-north-queensland/
4e. Native grassland restoration at Woorndoo, south-west Victoria
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2026/07/31/native-grassland-restoration-a-community-led-project-at-woorndoo-south-west-victoria/
4f. Grassy Groundcover restoration projects, Greening Australia, Victoria and New South Wales
https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/projects/grassy-groundcover-restoration/
4g. Snowy Adit spoil pile restoration, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales
https://emrprojects.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/habitat-restoration-at-snowy-adit-kosciuszko-national-park/
Image – Snowy Adit spoil pile restoration, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales.