Adaptive management and social learning of pastoral communities enhance ecosystem restoration on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Adaptive management is recognized as a viable approach to coping with environmental uncertainties and enhancing ecosystem restoration. However, previous research on adaptive management has often overlooked the involvement of local communities and their knowledge, leading to diminished equity and effectiveness of this approach. To deepen insight into the value of engaging local communities in adaptive management, we conducted a case study on self-organized adaptive grassland restoration by pastoral communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Based on 42 key-informant interviews, we found that: 1) local communities play a vital role in producing landscape-specific knowledge and understanding the multi-dimensional conditions for site selection, which are essential for achieving effective restoration outcomes; 2) a mobilization strategy that considers the cultural aspects of the landscape is crucial for facilitating community participation in restoration activities; 3) visible restoration success, practical implementation, and social network can promote social learning between communities and fostering novel adaptations; 4) knowledge must be adapted to the specific local landscape during the site-to-site social learning process. We recommend that governments develop inclusive ecosystem restoration projects that incorporate the participation of local communities and their contextual knowledge to enhance restoration effectiveness and support the achievement of broader restoration goals. Attention should be given to the cultural aspects of the landscape and to the co-design of user-friendly tools and machinery throughout this process.