Stimulating post‐COVID‐19 green recovery by investing in ecological restoration

Mansuy, Nicolas

In the face of the global COVID‐19 recession, countries are looking at stimulus packages to kick‐start their stalled economies. The recovery from the COVID‐19 crisis also coincides with a critical opportunity to fight against ecosystem degradation and climate change. In this opinion article, I put in perspective that by investing in ecological restoration, governments do not have to choose between economic priorities and environmental concerns. First, I describe the restoration economy and give real‐world examples of how investing in restoration activities can simultaneously ease pressure on the environment and create immediate jobs and revenues. Then I suggest that to obtain political attraction, a successful restoration strategy will require a triple‐bottom‐line approach to ensure that in addition to environmental objectives, stakeholders integrate socioeconomic outcomes in decision‐making. Finally, I conclude that a new economic approach that prioritizes investment in our ecological capital will necessitate transdisciplinary policies to build bridges across the different silos of the economy and the environment.