We posit that a better meshing of traditional engineering disciplines and ecological restoration science is central to achieving environmental repair at the scale and pace required to combat globally ever-growing, human caused, land degradation and biodiversity loss. Ecological restoration is an increasingly vibrant endeavour supported by diverse fields of research. But there is a rapidly emerging role for traditional engineering disciplines to design and deploy solutions to the challenges regularly encountered in returning biodiverse plant communities across degraded landscapes of varying characteristics. In order for large-scale restoration to be feasible, increased efficiencies throughout all stages of the restoration process are required. We argue for increased investment into the development of engineered tools and techniques guided by ecology, able to enhance our ability to cheaply, quickly, and effectively restore ecosystems. By conceptualising the overlap between ecosystem service value, traditional economic outcomes and successional land use we seek to explore how investment in new restoration technologies can lead to a net benefit for society and businesses alike. Using terrestrial mining as an example, we highlight engineering issues faced in large-scale restoration and outline how these may be overcome to maximise both economic and ecological outcomes with a particular focus on restorative earthworks and technologies for the direct return of plants.

我们认为，传统工程学科和生态修复科学之间更好的结合对于以与全球范围内不断增长的人类活动，土地退化和生物多样性丧失作斗争所需的规模和步伐实现环境修复至关重要。生态恢复是一项日益活跃的努力，得到了不同研究领域的支持。但是，传统工程学科在设计和部署解决方案以应对在具有不同特征的退化景观中返回生物多样性植物群落时经常遇到的挑战，正在迅速发挥作用。为了使大规模恢复可行，在恢复过程的所有阶段都需要提高效率。我们主张增加对以生态学为指导的工程工具和技术开发的投资，以增强我们廉价，快速和有效地恢复生态系统的能力。通过概念化生态系统服务价值，传统经济成果和土地继承用途之间的重叠，我们试图探索对新修复技术的投资如何为社会和企业带来净收益。以陆地采矿为例，我们重点介绍了大规模修复过程中遇到的工程问题，并概述了如何克服这些问题以最大程度地实现经济和生态效益，并特别着重于修复性土方工程和直接返回植物的技术。通过概念化生态系统服务价值，传统经济成果和土地继承用途之间的重叠，我们试图探索对新修复技术的投资如何为社会和企业带来净收益。以陆地采矿为例，我们重点介绍了大规模修复过程中遇到的工程问题，并概述了如何克服这些问题以最大程度地实现经济和生态效益，并特别着重于修复性土方工程和直接返回植物的技术。通过概念化生态系统服务价值，传统经济成果和土地继承用途之间的重叠，我们试图探索对新修复技术的投资如何为社会和企业带来净收益。以陆地采矿为例，我们重点介绍了大规模修复过程中遇到的工程问题，并概述了如何克服这些问题以最大程度地实现经济和生态效益，并特别着重于修复性土方工程和直接返回植物的技术。