Duke RESTORE is a Duke University initiative based in the Nicholas School of the Environment focused on advancing the field of ecosystem restoration to enhance resilience of natural and human systems.
Teams across Duke RESTORE work on the following innovative ideas:
- Harnessing positive ecological interactions rather than relying solely on engineering interventions.
- Using advanced technologies such as drones, AI, GIS, LiDAR, remote sensing, and camera traps.
- Developing market-based financing mechanisms including carbon credits, biodiversity credits, and blue-carbon finance.
- Pursuing nature-based solutions that simultaneously improve ecological resilience and human well-being.
These approaches collectively position Duke RESTORE as a test bed for next-generation ecosystem restoration that integrates ecology, technology, economics, and community engagement.
Our Vision
Our vision is for Duke RESTORE to become a global innovation leader in ecosystem restoration by creatively rebuilding habitats to help both nature and people
The next century will, I believe, be the era of restoration in ecology.
E. O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life