A Social‐Ecological Framework to Enhance Sustainable Reforestation Under Geological Constraints.

South China Karst faces the challenge of balancing ecological conservation and regional development, a task made more intricate by the geological limitations of carbonate formations. Large‐scale conservation and restoration initiatives have mitigated rocky desertification and positioned South China Karst as a global hotspot for vegetation regrowth over the past two decades. However, challenges stemming from geological constraints and oversights in recognizing the synergies within social‐ecological systems remain. Here, we propose a social‐ecological framework that integrates the extended timescale of both historical and recent human impacts with the corresponding processes of forest evolution. The framework elucidates the enduring and continuous progression of "forest‐deforestation‐reforestation," offering applicability for optimizing ecological space across diverse social‐ecological contexts. Moreover, it serves to enhance the sustainability of reforestation efforts when faced with geological constraints. Plain Language Summary: South China is one of the most remarkable greening regions in the world in the last 20 years, but it is unknown whether the greening trend is sustainable. The soil is thin in South China Karst and carbonate rocks under the vegetation will affect water storage, thus affecting growth of vegetation. Moreover, the region is facing serious conflicts between people and land. We summarize the effectiveness of ecological restoration in the South China as well as the present social and natural challenges. Subsequently, we propose a research framework to get a comprehensive view of the vegetation changes in the past, present and future. It helps enhance the reforestation sustainability in the Karst critical zone. Key Points: Both the natural and social dimensions of rocky desertification controls in South China Karst are reviewedChallenges of a sustainable reforestation under geological constraints are revealedA social‐ecological framework designed to enhance sustainability of reforestation is proposed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]