Naturae
2021 (19) - Pages 271-276The REVER 10 conference “Restoring or recovering” organized by MNHN (National Museum of Natural History) and REVER association in March 2019, was an opportunity to review the development of restoration ecology and ecological restoration, as the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration” was being proclaimed by the UN. In France, the development of ecological restoration has been guided by the REVER association, a network created in 2008, on the model of the SER (Society for Ecological Restoration). It contributes to organizing annual conferences, promotes exchanges between technical and scientific stakeholders and the diffusion of knowledge, concepts and practices. These exchanges were particularly important at a time when, over the same period, research and feedbacks from restoration projects had been leading to an evolution and a strengthening of concepts through numerous scientific debates around, in particular, the notion of reference ecosystems, novel ecosystems and passive restoration. Today more than ever, even if conservation must remain a priority, the challenges we face in ecological restoration make it essential to strengthen both the acquisition of knowledge and restoration actions. Thus, scientific dissemination, the design of evaluation tools and of decision support systems and exchanges around restoration project feedbacks remain essential in which REVER along with international structures have an undeniable role to play.