In the face of the global COVID-19 recession, countries are looking at stimulus packages to kick-start their stalled economies. The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis also coincides with a critical opportunity to fight against ecosystem degradation and climate change. In this opinion article, I put in perspective that by investing in ecological restoration, governments do not have to choose between economic priorities and environmental concerns. First, I describe the restoration economy and give real-world examples of how investing in restoration activities can simultaneously ease pressure on the environment and create immediate jobs and revenues. Then I suggest that to obtain political attraction, a successful restoration strategy will require a triple-bottom-line approach to ensure that in addition to environmental objectives, stakeholders integrate socioeconomic outcomes in decision-making. Finally, I conclude that a new economic approach that prioritizes investment in our ecological capital will necessitate transdisciplinary policies to build bridges across the different silos of the economy and the environment.
Keywords: ecological economics; green economy; nature‐based solutions; oil and gas; reclamation.
© 2020 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Restoration Ecology © 2020 Society for Ecological Restoration Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada.