I think the role of applied social sciences in the framework of ecological restoration is essential. Ecological restoration initiatives are inherently social processes, as they involve different stakeholders with different interests, backgrounds, and motivations. It is important to recognize and take into account the social context in which ecological restoration projects take place in order to ensure their successful implementation and longer-term sustainability. Moreover, it is important to consider the social and cultural implications of ecological restoration projects, as these can have a direct impact on local communities, both positive and negative. For instance, changes to local ecosystems can affect livelihoods and traditional lifestyles, while also providing new opportunities for economic development. It is important to consider the needs and interests of local communities in the design and implementation of restoration projects. Finally, understanding the political aspects of ecological restoration is also key. Different levels of government will have different levels of authority and responsibility for the management of natural resources and ecological restoration initiatives. It is important to understand the different motivations and interests of different levels of government, and to ensure that the interests of local communities are taken into account in decision-making processes. Overall, it is clear that the role of applied social sciences in the framework of ecological restoration is essential. Social science can help to ensure that ecological restoration initiatives are implemented in a socially responsible and sustainable way, taking into account the needs and interests of all stakeholders.

Sure, that is the 'theory'. I'm in the begining of my collaboration with TRAINER project (https://chapter.ser.org/europe/trainer/), where I'm the only sociologist. My experience, after some months working with biologist, ecologist, geologist..., academics and profesionals, is that social issues are totally recognised as key points, but difficultly (when not imposible) to be understood. It is a nice challenge, because is a constant dialogue between different focus of researching and producing (transferable) knowledge.

INDIGENOUS or NEWCOMERS?--The concept of "Ecological Restoration" is completely dependent on if you are indigenous to a continent, or if your relatives are newcomers, and been there for under 20 generations of less.

MASSIVE DIVIDE--Speaking from both sides of that massive divide, my Native American roots on my father's side, of the Deer Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina, we had 10,000 generations to fall in love with everything natural on this continent, after we migrated across from the "Old World". So we look at the natural world maybe in a much different perspective than the newcomer-branches of my family.

PRISTINE AREAS SACRED--First, pristine areas have always been sacred, and now even more sacred, because that spot has had the power to resist the environmental cyclone that the European people unleashed on this continent in the 1400s to 1600s.

WHY RESTORATION, when you are just here to get your slice of the PIE?

It always mystifies me, why do the newcomers want to do ecological restoration here, when for 600 years everything native has been destroyed including my Native relatives, so that the newcomers could grab their own slice of this continent for themselves.

IS NOTHING SACRED? There is an old Gahan Wilson cartoon that I have attached, which really shows the divide in Ecological Restoration thinking--for the indigenous people, when you do Ecological Restoration, you are increasing and helping the sacred, like fixing the roof of your church that was damaged.

For the newcomers, nothing in your new home in nature is sacred, so everything is up for grabs, and you can destroy entire ecosystems like the Great Plains and everything that lived there, the bison and the last passenger pigeon, and never even apologize.

ONLY An ACADEMIC EXERCISE for the newcomers. Ecological Restoration is just an academic exercise that is funded by the government to pretend that they care, when if they were serious about Ecological Restoration, to fix all of the damages on the 200 million acres of the Great Basin grasslands and forbs, they would have annual budgets to fix at least 20 million acres per year, so the whole job could be done in a decade or less.

NEW COMERS only fund killing and destruction, like ONE TRILLION to kill people with their military, not funding widespread repairs to the damages and never stop making more damages. You cannot separate Ecological Restoration from the damages being done every day, every minute to the lands. It is like saying there is a group that wants to help alcoholics get better and off the hooch, and you have a whole society getting drunk as skunks every day of the year.

THE GOOD thing about ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, is that will be the sole scientific concept that will save our species, and reverse Global Warming. When like the Saudis and the other 24 countries that at COP27 came together to plant 50 billion trees to reverse Global Warming, then once that gets spread to the other 171 countries of the world, then all will see how important Ecological Restoration is for our survival.

WATCH the COP27 You Tube one hour, ten minute meeting which is the only significant Ecological restoration project on the planet right now, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO8PcbxOu0Y

LET the SACRED Party get started--Then, if the newcomers could start finding plants, animals, native here and decide that they are sacred, and even if there is a trillion dollars of gold or oil underneath where the Greater Sage Grouse lives, you will never disturb then. Instead what has happened for 21 year since I sent in my petition to the USFWS, they acknowledged that bird needed protections, and then the oil companies got Congress to defund the USFWS to never act on my petition.

Every year for a decade now, "Craig's Greater Sage Grouse petition" gets a rider attached to the annual Federal Budget, blocking the Endangered Species Act from functioning and protecting that bird?

This reminds of Cabin (2007) Science-driven restoration: A square grid on a round Earth? Social aspects of restoration are many - development of local restoration knowledge, education and awareness, community involvement in restoration projects, building relationships with landowners, incentives to landowners, relevant regulations and enforcement, indigenous rights, employment opportunities, supporting businesses opportunities, mental health and non-consumptive recreation, etc.