Scientific publications

Scientific publications about ecosystem restoration with biodegradable materials.

This page contains scientific publications of ecosystem restoration. In particular, wetlands and bio-based, biodegradable materials, such as our BESE-elements. The articles are grouped per ecosystem type.

At the bottom you can find some scientific handbooks and articles on ecosystem restoration principles.

Publications about shellfish and reef restoration

- Attraction versus production in restoration: spatial and habitat effects of shellfish reefs for fish in coastal seascapes.
  Gilby et al. 2021 Restoration Ecology
- Biodegradable Material for Oyster Reef Restoration: First-Year Performance and Biogeochemical Considerations in a Coastal Lagoon.
  Nitsch et al. 2021 Sustainability
- Life cycle informed restoration: Engineering settlement substrate material characteristics and structural complexity for reef formation.
  Temmink et al. 2021 Journal of applied ecology
- Can we enhance ecosystem-based coastal defense by connecting oysters to marsh edges? Analyzing the limits of oyster reef establishment.
  Fivash et al. 2021 Ecological engineering
- On the use of large-scale biodegradable artificial reefs for intertidal foreshore stabilization.
  Diaz et al. 2021 Ecological Engineering
- Contemporary Oyster Reef Restoration: Responding to a Changing World.
  Howie & Bishop 2021 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
- Initiating and upscaling mussel reef establishment with life cycle informed restoration: Successes and future challenges.
  Temmink et al. 2022 Ecological Engineering
- Biodegradable artificial reefs enhance food web complexity and biodiversity in an intertidal soft-sediment ecosystem.
  Nauta et al. 2022 Journal of Applied Ecology
- Evaluating biodegradable alternatives to plastic mesh for small-scale oyster reef restoration.
  Comba et al. 2022 Restoration Ecology
- The Use of Non-Plastic Materials for Oyster Reef and Shoreline Restoration: Understanding What Is Needed and Where the Field Is Headed.
  Walters et al. 2022 Sustainability
- Biodegradable artificial reefs enhance food web complexity and biodiversity in an intertidal soft‐sediment ecosystem.
  Nauta et al. 2023 Journal of Applied Ecology
- REEFOREST. REstoring the European Flat Oyster Reefs & their Ecosystem Services on the French coast.
  Pouvreau et al. 2024 ARCHIMER
- Enhancing ecological complexity in soft-bottom coastal ecosystems: the impact of introducing hard substrates.
  Witte et al. 2024 Restoration Ecology
- Monitoring Faunal Responses to Biodegradable Oyster Reef Restoration Materials with Camera Traps.
  Blanchard. 2024 Thesis University of Central Florida
- Oyster restoration to recover ecosystem services.
  Smith & Pruett 2024 Annual Review of Marine Science
- Patterns of oyster recruitment and habitat provision across tidal elevation gradients are dependent on predator mitigation methods.
  Esquivel-Muelbert et al. 2025 Journal of Applied Ecology
- Novel settlement substrates for European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) restoration.
  Kamermans et al. 2025 Ecological Engineering
- Introduced substrates trigger colonization by reef-associated fish in a degraded coastal system.
  Watson et al. 2025 PLoS ONE
- Monitoring faunal responses to biodegradable oyster reef restoration materials with camera traps in a subtropical estuary.
  Blanchard et al. 2025 Restoration Ecology
- Rethinking artificial reefs to accelerate and upscale marine biodiversity recovery.
  Zhao et al. 2026 Environmental Science & Technology
- Plastic-Free Alternatives for Oyster Reef Restoration: Laboratory and Field Trials to Determine Efficacy and Environmental Impacts of Novel Restoration Materials.
  Womacks et al. 2026 Environment

Publications about salt marsh restoration

Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.
Temmink et al. 2020 Nature Communications
Restoration of biogeomorphic systems by creating windows ofopportunity to support natural establishment processes.
Fivash et al. 2021 Ecological Applications
Overcoming establishment thresholds for peat mosses in human-made bog pools.
Temmink et al. 2021 Ecological Applicatons
Elevated micro-topography boosts growth rates in Salicornia procumbens by amplifying a tidally driven oxygen pump: implications for natural recruitment and restoration.
Fivash et al. 2019 Aquatic Botany
Preliminary results of salt marsh transplants in rewilded coastal wetlands.
Carneiro et al. 2023 EGU General Assembly 2023
Evaluating the success of vegetation restoration in rewilded salt marshes.
Carneiro et al. 2024 Science of The Total Environment

Publications about seagrass restoration

Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.
Temmink et al. 2020 Nature Communications
Incorporating facilitative interactions into small-scale eelgrass restoration—challenges and opportunities.
Gagnon et al. 2021 Restoration Ecology
Evaluating a novel biodegradable lattice structure for subtropical seagrass restoration .
Mac Donnell et al. 2021 Aquatic Botany
Coastal restoration success via emergent trait-mimicry is context dependent.
Van der Heide et al. 2021 Biological Conservation
Reintroduction of self-facilitating feedbacks could advance subtidal eelgrass (Zostera marina) restoration in the Dutch Wadden Sea.
Rehlmeyer et al. 2024 Frontiers in Marine Science
Assisting recolonization of near-shore seagrasses.
Torres-Conde et al. 2025 Restoration Ecology
Effects of European green crabs (Carcinus maenas) on transplanted Eelgrass (Zostera marina): potential protective measures.
Petersen et al. 2025 Restoration Ecology
Comparative assessment of transplantation methods and donor sources for the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows.
Boulenger et al. 2025 Science of the Total Environment
Microbiome matters: how transplantation methods and donor origins shape the successful restoration of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica.
Boulenger et al. 2025 Environmental Microbiome
Seagrass Restoration Review: Spatial Analysis of Potential Habitats, Innovative Restoration Methods, and Predictive Modeling for Monitoring.
Nurhasanah et al. 2025 J. Ilmu dan Teknologi Kelautan Tropis
Physiological and biochemical indicators of Posidonia oceanica transplantation success.
Boulenger et al. 2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin

Publications about submerged Aquatic vegetation restoration

Growth forms and life-history strategies predict the occurrence of aquatic macrophytes in relation to environmental factors in a shallow peat lake complex.
Temmink et al. 2021 Springer Nature

Publications about mangrove restoration

Restoration Of Mangrove Ecosystem On Biodegradable Media On The Coast Of Waai Village.
Limmon et al. 2023 Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat
Field assessment of wave attenuation by BESE-elements in a mangrove environment.
Nuyts et al. 2025. Journal of Ecological Engineering
Optimising ecological and engineering outcomes of hybrid mangrove living shorelines using life-cycle informed restoration.
Bodycomb et al 2026 Journal of Environmental Management

Publications about ecosystem restoration principles

Restoration of wetlands dominated by habitat modifiers.
Temmink 2020 PhD thesis Radboud University
Restoration of biogeomorphic landscapes by creating ‘windows of opportunity.
Fivash 2022 PhD thesis University of Groningen
Using waste biomass to produce 3D-printed artificial biodegradable structures for coastal ecosystem restoration.
Talekar et al. 2024 Science of the Total Environment
Full-scale experiments on wave transmission and stability of oyster shell-filled bag berms.
Provan, Rahman, and Murphy 2024. Coastal Engineering, 193, p.104578
Saltmarsh Restoration Handbook.
Hudson, Kenworthy, Best 2023 book link
Seagrass Restoration Handbook.
Gamble et al. 2021 book link
Living in a material world: Support for the use of natural and alternative materials in coastal restoration and living shorelines.
Sakr & Altieri 2025 Ecological Engineering
Oyster restoration to recover ecosystem services.
Smith & Pruett 2024 Annual Review of Marine Science
Multi-scale assessment of the biological and ecological responses of Posidonia oceanica to transplantation for the optimization of seagrass meadow restoration.
Boulenger 2025 PhD thesis Université de Liège
Subtidal eelgrass in the Dutch Wadden Sea: A first step toward restoration.
Rehlmeyer 2025 PhD thesis University of Groningen
Statewide Coastal Restoration Guide with Living Shoreline Chapter.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2025 Restoration Guide
Benefit-cost analysis of small-scale active restoration in blue carbon ecosystems.

Nuyts et al. 2026 Ecosystem Services

Publications about materials and biodegradability

Microplastic and biogeochemical releases from plastic, metal, cement, and fiber coastal restoration material.
Chambers et al. 2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin

This page is regularly updated with more scientific publications about ecosystem restoration with bio-based and biodegradable materials and scientific publications of the principles of ecosystem restoration.