Multispecies Evaluation of Habitat Restoration Effectiveness Using Before-After Control Impact Study Designs

Abstract

Habitat restoration is one of the central conservation policies that will help reverse the trend of environmental degradation and support biodiversity. This paper measures the success of habitat restoration through a multispecies design, which involves the Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design to test the response of the species in a restored forest ecosystem. Eight species were grouped within the region that was surveyed, which were herbivores (wild boar, spotted deer), carnivores (Bengal tiger, fishing cat), pollinators (honeybees), and small mammals (Indian field mouse, palm squirrel). Findings indicated a significant enhancement of the abundance of species, especially the wild boar, honeybees, and the small mammals, and a substantial improvement in habitat utilization of the restored riparian areas and the increased regions of grassland. But the Bengal tiger did not show many changes, and this may imply that apex predators might need more habitat remedies. The restoration process resulted in greater species richness and diversity of the affected regions, which supported the idea that habitat restoration is a part of the ecological recovery of a broader scope. Regardless of such constructive results, there are still issues to cope with the needs of large carnivores specifically and guarantee the success of the restoration process in the long run. This research demonstrates the significance of multispecies surveillance and long-term evaluation in measuring the results of the restoration process and determining the future conservation practices. The results highlight the importance of species-specific restoration response in light of ecological functions and habitat needs of different species.