Planning for restoration projects – Key steps and checklist

This checklist has been developed to guide the planning of ecological restoration projects. It was prepared by the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators (AABR), drawing on the National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia.

More detail on each point can be found in the Standards document – an initiative of SER Australasia.

The aim is to help operationalise the Standards, and summarise the planning process.

Inadequate planning can lead to poor practice, which in turn can waste scarce public funds, environmental and social opportunities, and increase degradation of the site.

Note: The scale and complexity with which a planner interprets each step in this checklist may be adapted to the scale and complexity of the individual project.

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Introducing AABR Victoria’s Checklist for the Planning of Ecological Restoration Projects

Author/editor: Matt Hall*

*Initial draft developed by generative AI.

As Australia enters the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Australian Association of Bushland Regenerators Victorian Branch (AABR Vic) have responded to the call from our community of practice for a more rigorous, science-driven approach to restoring degraded landscapes. Central to this are the National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia (Standards) and the newly developed AABR Restoration Planning Checklist. Together, they offer a comprehensive roadmap to transform good intentions into successful outcomes when it comes to ecological restoration.

Developed by the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia (SERA), the National Standards provide a foundational framework to elevate restoration practice across Australia’s diverse ecosystems. Built around six core principles, the Standards reinforce the importance of starting with a locally appropriate reference ecosystem and recognising that full ecological recovery is the ultimate goal—even when constrained by complexity or timeframes.

The first critical step is defining a reference ecosystem, a real or conceptual model that reflects the original composition, structure, and function of the site prior to degradation. This guides everything from goal setting to monitoring success. Restoration strategies are then matched to the level of ecosystem degradation and resilience, using a gradient of approaches — from natural regeneration to full reconstruction.

Image Source: SERA National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia

These approaches are underpinned by clear targets, goals, and objectives tied to six ecosystem attributes: absence of threats, physical conditions, species composition, community structure, ecosystem function and external exchanges. A five-star system enables consistent tracking and evaluation of recovery progress across each ecosystem attribute over time.  Visual tools like the “recovery wheel” offer intuitive ways to represent progress across multiple ecosystem attributes.

To operationalise these principles for practitioners, AABR Vic have distilled the SERA Standards into a detailed, step-by-step planning checklist. The aim of this tool is to assist practitioners translate high-level concepts into explicit project steps. It covers essential elements in project planning, from resourcing and stakeholder engagement to ecological assessments, risk management and adaptive management.

Critically, the checklist prompts practitioners to assess the site’s current ecological values and threats, including invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and climate change impacts. It encourages site mapping, consideration of land tenure, and securing capacity for long-term monitoring and post-project evaluation—areas often neglected in under-resourced projects.

Both the standards and the checklist are not just technical documents—they represent a cultural shift in how Australians approach environmental repair. By embedding a site-led approach to restoration practice, the SERA Standards and AABR Checklist are driving more situationally appropriate and sustainable outcomes.

For industry professionals—from planners to contractors, regulators to landholders—these tools offer clarity, consistency, and credibility in the increasingly vital task of restoring Australia’s ecosystems. Whether you’re managing a large-scale mining rehabilitation or a community-driven bushland project, they ensure we’re not just putting plants in the ground but affording nature the opportunity to lead the process of recovery and restoration.

ECAV are proud to support the development of this initiative and thanks to those ECAV members and supporters that played an important role in reviewing draft versions of the guidelines to ensure that the ‘lens’ of ecological consultants was incorporated into the final checklist.