02521naa a2200337 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400550007410000210012924501330015026000090028352014980029265000120179065300280180265300250183065300240185565300210187970000200190070000210192070000190194170000190196070000190197970000170199870000210201570000240203670000170206070000220207770000210209977300630212021653832024-07-03       2024    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0301-47977 ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.1215762DOI1 aWIEDERHECKER, A.  aTen years of directing seeding restoration in the Brazilian savannablessons learned and the way forward.h[electronic resource]  c2024  aSavannas and grasslands have lost almost 50% of their original cover worldwide. Therefore, the development of methods and information on open-canopy ecosystem restoration is urgent for the inclusion of these ecosystems into global and regional priorities. In the Brazilian savanna, the most diverse savanna in the world, restoration efforts focused on open ecosystems have been virtually absent, but have increased in the last 10 years. Such efforts are frequently threatened by invasive exotic grasses (IEG) that invade and dominate areas excluding native species, oftentimes aided by altered soil conditions. Long-term studies of savanna restoration trajectories are rare. In this study, we surveyed 22 savanna restoration areas established two to ten years before the study with similar restoration methods to assess their current status. We show that the current restoration methods are successful in establishing native species and allowing species turnover but they are threatened by IEG. Restoration success varies and is affected by soil conditions, IEG landscape cover and post-sowing weeding. Despite that, the simultaneous introduction of different plant functional groups allows turnover from fast to slow-growing plants. Establishing savanna native species is possible at an operational scale with current knowledge and techniques. However, native species establishment fails to prevent IEG reinfestation, which needs to be managed in restoration efforts in the Brazilian savanna.  aCerrado  aInvasive exotic grasses  aNeotropical savannas  aSavanna restoration  aSpecies turnover1 aFERREIRA, M. C.1 aRODRIGUES, S. B.1 aSAMPAIO, A. B.1 aSCHMIDT, I. B.1 aRIBEIRO, J. F.1 aOGATA, R. S.1 aRODRIGUES, M. I.1 aSILVA-COELHO, A. C.1 aABREU, I. S.1 aMONTENEGRO, T. F.1 aVIEIRA, D. L. M.  tJournal of Environmental Managementgv. 365, 121576, 2024.