Building synergies to leverage the power
of ecological restoration
About the Ecological Health Network
We live in a world of possibilities. Ecological restoration projects exist worldwide in which people are doing heroic work to bring ecosystems back to health. But there is little connection among these sites. The Ecological Health Network is changing that. We work at the intersection of human health & well-being and ecological restoration, where there are answers to some of the most urgent crises of our time.
The Natural History of Ecological Restoration
Established in 2014, the Natural History of Ecological Restoration (NHER) is a natural history notebook and joint project of the Restoration Ecology Lab at Virginia Tech, the Ecological Health Network, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. To date, NHER has published over 120 articles. Join us as we share our observations of restoration projects – their natural history – from around the world.
Winter 2025 Newsletter
Read EHN's latest newsletter to explore 2024 highlights and see what lies ahead for us in 2025.
60,000 Seedlings: The Forest Restoration in Ankafobe
In October 2022, our restoration project in a fragment of forest in Madagascar's highlands lost 26ha because of a bushfire. This video shows the efforts made, with remarkable commitment, from the local communities to control the fire as quickly as possible.
Currently the entire zone that was burnt has been replanted with young plants of a diversity of native tree species. These plants are now being nurtured, mostly by freeing them from smothering weeds. Assuming that the current dry season is not too harsh and that further wildfires can be prevented, then we expect at least 80% of these plants will become established.
Strengthening seed and plant supply chains in the US Northeast
Ecological restoration remains constrained by chronic commercial shortages of genetically appropriate, viable seeds and plant material of known provenance for most native plant species. EHN is reinforcing and building network connections to help strengthen the US Northeast’s native seed and plant supply chain. As a result of these efforts we have helped establish the Northeast Seed Supply Network.
Eve Allen is the Director of the Northeast Bioregion and manages the Seed and Plant Supply Chain Program at EHN.
Click the button below to sign up to receive email updates and learn about joining the Northeast Seed Supply Network.
Learn about our Network Hubs, Sites, and Regional Networks.
Events
- Public Launch Event for the New Ecological Health Network: May 13, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Ecological Health Network 1st International Workshop: May 14 – 15, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Symposium at the Society for Ecological Restoration Conference: September 24-27, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa
- Four Islands Ecological Health Network Workshop: February 17-20, 2020, in Hobart, Tasmania
- Scaling Up Ecosystem Restoration Webinar: Online September 28, 2020
- European EHN Workshop: June 30-July 3, 2022 at Qvidja Farm in Finland
- Workshop at SER European Conference: September 5, 2022 in Alicante, Spain
View All Events »
Publications
Aronson, J. 2025. Foreword. in C. Grison and C. M. Grison, eds. Ecocatalysis: A Unique Combination of Global Ecology and Green and Sustainable Chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry, Vol. 87. London. Pp. v-vi.
Eve B. Allen, Adam T. Cross, Alan M. Berger, James Aronson. (2024). Restoration seed and plant material supply chains are complex networks. Restoration Ecology. http://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14279
Cross, A. T., & Aronson, J. (2023). Editorial: Plant-soil-microbe interactions and drivers in ecosystem development and ecological restoration. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1216016
From our colleagues in Australia and the Four Islands Ecohealth Network. Stanhope, J., & Weinstein, P. (2023). Exposure to environmental microbiota may modulate gut microbial ecology and the immune system. Mucosal Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mucimm.2023.03.001
News & Press
The Restorative Landscape Coalition: A new social-ecological impact network takes root in the Eastern United States, Eve Allen, James Aronson, and Sefra Alexandra, Natural History of Ecological Restoration, March 29, 2024
What's happening at EHN? Read our Winter 2024 Newsletter
Native Seed Network Takes Root in the Northeast, Eve Allen, The Barn Raiser, February 19, 2024
Natural history is essential for reviving North America’s Southeastern Grasslands, Eve Allen, Natural History of Ecological Restoration, September 16, 2023
Photos by Thibaud Aronson