Soil native microbes and multi-species planting for restoring soil function in dryland rehabilitation

Global environmental changes and other anthropogenic impacts are rapidly transforming the structure and functioning of ecosystems worldwide. These changes are leading to soil degradation with an estimated 25 % of the global land surface being affected. The need to develop cost-effective large-scale solutions to restore disturbed landscapes becomes imperative to preserve biodiversity and achieve ecosystem functionality and sustainability. As part of a large-scale industry-academia partnership, we have developed a soil research program that aims to build knowledge and design strategies to restore degraded landscapes in Western Australia and other dryland regions worldwide. Within this program, a series of laboratory experiments, glasshouse studies, and field trials, have been conducted over the past six years to advance our knowledge on soil limitations and to provide solutions to enhance soil carbon levels and restore above and belowground biodiversity in restoration programs. These studies include (i) the analysis of the influence of multi-species planting on soil organic carbon and microbial activity and diversity (ii) the evaluation of soil physicochemical and microbiological indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems and (ii) the development of nature-based strategies based on bio-tools (e.g. inoculation of soil biocrust cyanobacteria) to increase soil carbon and enhance overall soil function. In this presentation we will highlight some key findings of these studies that include the benefits of combining diverse plant species and using native microbes and organic amendments for increasing soil carbon and promote soil function in reconstructed soil substrates. We will also discuss the potential applicability of these bio-technological approaches in landscape-scale restoration programs.