Turning the tide on invasives: A global meta‐analysis of native revegetation strategies for effective restoration

Globally, enormous resources are spent to restore areas invaded by non‐native species. Active revegetation using native plants, following the removal of invasive plants, is a common strategy to achieve restoration of invaded communities. Studies on revegetation conducted worldwide report a mixed outcome, and we currently lack a global synthesis to draw concrete conclusions on successful restoration. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a global meta‐analysis of native revegetation‐based restoration experiments using 266 effect sizes from 50 primary studies. The meta‐analysis revealed that revegetation post‐invasive plant removal significantly increased native plant community by ~45% (in terms of recorded diversity metrics) and reduced non‐native plant community by 28% compared with control (i.e. non‐vegetated, invasive plant removal plots only). The taxonomic and functional diversity, and growth forms used for revegetation and invasive plant control method were relatively strong predictors, but time since revegetation and plot size of revegetation were relatively weak predictors, of native and non‐native community responses to revegetation. Synthesis and applications. Based on the insights gained, we evaluate the underlying ecological principles of revegetation and provide practical guidelines to design effective restoration strategies aimed for enhancing invasion‐resistance in plant communities. Looking ahead, we highlight the existing knowledge gaps and call for the integration of future research across regions, ecosystems, invasion resistance mechanisms and spatio‐temporal scales to inform evidence‐based active revegetation of invaded landscapes.