What evidence exists for the impact of restoration of natural processes on biodiversity in temperate ecosystems: a systematic map protocol.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, a paradigm shift has been initiated in the field of nature management and conservation with shifting the focus from traditional, more static conservation efforts to dynamic conservation efforts. To promote dynamic restoration efforts, it is essential to provide nature managers with tools to measure the impact and effectiveness of relevant interventions. However, despite increasing practice, quantifying restoration management in a relevant and measurable way remains challenging. Therefore, this systematic map aims to elucidate which metrics are being used to measure the impact of dynamic nature management working with natural processes. METHODS: To assess which metrics are being used to measure this impact, we will perform a systematic map in Web of Science, Scopus and Agricola. In addition, we will search for grey literature through directed visits to organizational websites, search ProQuest for relevant PhD theses on the topic and perform a search in Google Scholar. For the latter, we will only consider the first 200 articles. We will include articles conducted based on research in natural areas within temperate zones, where natural dynamics (e.g., grazing, hydrology, fire) are present, introduced or restored, and are assessed using before/after or control/impact study designs. The selected studies should mention measurements of the natural process restoration outcome related to relevant biodiversity metrics (e.g., richness, diversity, abundance). Literature from review studies will be included to identify other relevant articles. All studies positively assessed as relevant through the criteria above will be subject to critical appraisal. Hereafter, we will use the critical appraisal tool as issued by Environmental Evidence. The data obtained will be used to create an overview of restoration and conservation current practices in order to identify knowledge gaps. We will disseminate our results to nature managers and provide a time- and cost- assessment of each measurement to create a guide on monitoring of dynamic nature management.