La Red de Restauración Ecológica de la Argentina (REA): Avances, vacíos y rumbo a seguir.

In a Latin American and national context of increasing environmental degradation, we describe the perception of the members of the REA on the current state of restoration in Argentina, and we identify the current prospect of progress and achievements in order to suggest ecological restoration actions in the country. The REA was formalized in 2012 and held its first national organizational meeting in 2017. It currently has 198 members distributed in eight regional nodes. Analyses carried out at this meeting indicate relatively few restoration initiatives at the institutional and landscape levels. Most of the actions are carried out at the local level by scientists who contribute through research and practitioners who promote the activity in a wide range of social and ecological contexts. Restoration practitioners (i.e., those who execute projects in the field) use information generated by the scientific, social, private and government sectors. Among other deficiencies, they mention the limited availability of basic ecological information, the inexistence or inadequacy of legal frameworks, institutional and technical capacities. We hope the consolidation of the REA will allow all those interested and involved in the ecological restoration of the country to share experiences and generate links to contribute to the continuity of a multidisciplinary, participatory work, integrated to the socio-environmental problems of the country, at different scales and with a long-term perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]