Ecological Restoration and Vegetation Feedback Mechanisms in Desertification Land: Bridging Conservation Ecology and Desertification Control

Land desertification is a critical global challenge under climate change and intensified land use. In response, conservation and restoration ecology provide the theoretical and practical frameworks necessary to reverse degradation processes and enhance the resilience of dryland ecosystems. However, the long-term success of desertification control initiatives depends not only on the technical effectiveness of vegetation restoration measures but also on a mechanistic understanding of the interactions between vegetation and the desert environment - including soil-water-plant feedbacks, nutrient cycling, microclimate regulation, and biodiversity -ecosystem functioning relationships.This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research that integrates conservation ecology principles with applied restoration ecology in desertified landscapes. We welcome contributions that address the underlying mechanisms of land degradation, evaluate novel restoration technologies, and explore the two-way feedbacks between recovering vegetation and their abiotic environment. By bridging fundamental ecological theory and practical restoration outcomes, this special issue seeks to inform policy and practice for sustainable dryland management under global environmental change.Despite decades of restoration efforts, desertification continues to expand in many arid and semi-arid regions due to insufficient integration between ecological theory and practical restoration. The core problem is that vegetation restoration is often implemented without fully understanding the two-way feedback between recovering vegetation and the desert environment-such as soil-water balance, wind erosion regulation, and microclimate modification. Consequently, many restoration projects achieve only short-term greening while failing to establish self-sustaining ecosystems. This Research Topic aims to bridge this gap by synthesizing mechanistic studies on vegetation-environment interactions, evaluating long-term outcomes of desertification control technologies, and translating conservation ecology principles into actionable restoration guidelines. We will achieve this through a collection of original research, reviews, and case studies that explicitly link ecological processes with restoration practices, thereby providing evidence-based solutions for sustainable dryland management under global change.This Research Topic solicits Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, and Perspective articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:-Mechanisms and assessment of land desertification under global climate change and human activities -Ecological restoration strategies for degraded drylands, including native species selection, soil amelioration, and water-harvesting techniques-Desertification control technologies and their long-term effectiveness, trade-offs, and socio-ecological implications-Vegetation restoration patterns and the sustainability of restored ecosystems-Interactions between vegetation and desert environments, including: - Root-soil feedbacks and rhizosphere processes- Ecohydrological redistribution and water balance- Wind erosion regulation by vegetation cover- Microclimate modification and positive feedbacks- Biodiversity effects on ecosystem multifunctionality Topic editors: Yumei Liang, Guodong Tang, Baorong Wang, Guanzhi Liu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81931/ecological-restoration-and-vegetation-feedback-mechanisms-in-desertification-land-bridging-conservation-ecology-and-desertification-control