Working together to scale ecosystem restoration: collective approaches to community action in Aotearoa New Zealand

Community groups are key drivers of ecosystem restoration in many countries. However, there is increasingly recognition that small scale restoration efforts are often insufficient to reverse ongoing biodiversity declines, and questions have been raised regarding the sustainability and efficiency of community-based initiatives. In Aotearoa New Zealand, collectives that bring together multiple community groups and other actors have arisen as a mechanism to scale restoration activities and support community restoration efforts. This article examines the nature, role, and contribution of ecosystem restoration collectives in Aotearoa, based on a survey of 27 collectives in 2021. Collectives generally engage in governance activities like funding, administration, and advocacy, adding to the typically “hands on” work of community groups. Similarly, they improve ways of working by increasing connections and communication between groups, agencies, and the wider public. This study indicates that collectives contribute to scaling restoration by improving the efficiency and sustainability of community initiatives, increasing the spatial scale and social-ecological scope of restoration, and increasing the range of actors involved in restoration.