Ecological restoration research progress and prospects: A bibliometric analysis

Zhentao Shen; Yan Tian; Yuxin Yao; Wenqiong Jiang; Jieyu Dong; Xizhi Huang; Xiaohong Wu; Taimoor Hassan Farooq; Wende Yan

Ecological Indicators (Nov 2023)

Ecological restoration research progress and prospects: A bibliometric analysis

Zhentao Shen,
Yan Tian,
Yuxin Yao,
Wenqiong Jiang,
Jieyu Dong,
Xizhi Huang,
Xiaohong Wu,
Taimoor Hassan Farooq,
Wende Yan

Affiliations

Zhentao Shen: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Yan Tian: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Yuxin Yao: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Wenqiong Jiang: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Jieyu Dong: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Xizhi Huang: State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, China
Xiaohong Wu: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China; Lutou National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Forest Ecosystems, Yueyang 414504, Hunan, China; Corresponding authors at: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China.
Taimoor Hassan Farooq: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China; Bangor College China, a Joint Unit of Bangor University and Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
Wende Yan: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China; Lutou National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Forest Ecosystems, Yueyang 414504, Hunan, China; Corresponding authors at: National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 155
p. 110968

Abstract

Read online

Ecological restoration has attracted global research attention due to its importance in solving increasingly severe ecological and environmental problems. However, systematic and comprehensive reviews of this topic from a bibliometric perspective are scarce. Here, 6908 articles were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database from 1991 to 2021. The research progress, hotspots and prospects in ecological restoration were explored using the bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace. The results revealed that the number of publications on ecological restoration has increased rapidly over the past 30 years and particularly in the last three years. The outstanding scholars in the field include Bojie Fu, Kelin Wang, Pedro H. S. Brancalion, Peter Z. Fulé and James Aronson. The United States contributed the most publications and was the core country in the international cooperation network. The Chinese Academy of Science was the most productive institution with 979 articles and 26,972 total citations. Keyword co-occurrence and frequency analysis showed that ‘ecological restoration of different ecosystems’, ‘biodiversity conservation and restoration’ and ‘environmental factors and human disturbances affecting ecological restoration’ were current hotspots in this research field. Notably, researchers have switched focus from local and single ecosystems to social-economic-natural coupled ecosystem ecological restoration. Additionally, implementing ecological restoration using multidisciplinary knowledge, utilising microbial communities to promote restoration and establishing rational and effective evaluation systems are future development trends in ecological restoration research. The findings of this review provide a systematic overview of the development of ecological restoration research and provide a valuable reference for future research.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords