Conclusions
Our meta-analysis strongly supports the idea that ecological restoration increases both biodiversity and ES supply in degraded wetlands, thereby benefiting the human communities that interact with and depend on them. The detailed effects of restoration depend heavily on context factors, emphasizing the need for habitat-specific planning and assessment of restorations [6]. Questions posed years ago remain largely unanswered today, such as “To what extent and over what time scale can ES be restored? [36] and “To what extent can mankind substitute for ES?” [37]. While restoration ecology is not obliged to answer these questions, exploring them may help improve the flows of ES and improve human well-being. Addressing these questions will require deepening our understanding of the links between restoration actions and changes in biophysical and ecological processes that generate ES [30]. While such research should inform and improve growing efforts to restore and mitigate loss of wetland area and loss of wetland ecosystem functions [35], they should not take importance away from efforts to conserve natural wetlands and avoid environmental degradation in the first place [8], [9]