Abstract The long‐term success of inland aquatic ecosystem restoration depends not only on ecological outcomes but on whether people value and engage with the restored ecosystems. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) is the dimension where this engagement takes shape, yet they remain systematically excluded from the decisions that determine how these ecosystems are managed. We systematically reviewed 155 studies (2010–2024) to assess how CES are understood, measured, and integrated into the management of inland aquatic ecosystems across the world. Studies are concentrated in Europe and Asia, focused on freshwater ecosystems and dominated by easily quantifiable CES such as recreation and ecotourism, leaving brackish ecosystems and intangible values largely unexamined. Water quality, vegetation and accessibility emerged as key drivers of CES, but their effect depended on perception rather than condition. Therefore, restorations that deliver ecological improvements without perceptible changes risk losing the public engagement on which conservation depends. When restoration does enhance CES, the benefits are not equally shared. Structural inequalities in access exclude low‐income communities and people with disabilities from the benefits of ecological investment. Bridging the gap between conservation and human well‐being requires treating CES as a core dimension in restoration planning through inclusive governance. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Pla et al. (Sun,) studied this question.