Forest restoration has gained global momentum, with proclaimed positive effects anticipated to impact socio-ecological systems worldwide. Despite the potential positive outcomes achieved through forest restoration (hereafter restoration), many projects have neglected to focus on social and biocultural benefits of restoration at the local level. Erasures of locally-derived restoration priorities by larger-scale actors (e.g. project developers, practitioners, funders, and scholars) have resulted in inequitable distributions of benefits and tree mortality. It is therefore crucial to determine some of the key locally-derived, plural priorities and benefits of restoration. In this study, we investigated how communities conceptualize the priorities and benefits of restoration by conducting in-depth participatory mapping workshops with two Indigenous communities, two Afro-descendant (Quilombola) communities, and two agrarian-reform settlements in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil–a top global priority biome for restoration. Through transdisciplinary mapmaking exercises on conceptions of restoration, we assembled five primary themes on the plural ways that communities have reappropriated the concept of restoration and created alternatives to how restoration has been commonly represented by larger-scale actors. These include: asserting territorial sovereignty and defending claims to lands; Bem Viver (living well); contesting dominant narratives about monoculture, capitalism, and land speculation; caring for ancestors, animals, and other living things, and fulfilling spiritual and cultural responsibilities; and realizing dreams and visions for desired futures. By broadening conceptualizations of the priorities and benefits of restoration, our study diverges from past research on restoration and emphasizes the importance of expanding beyond narrow definitions of restoration. We highlight the critical role of communities in the restoration process and the importance of conducting direct work with affected communities to inform the way restoration is understood, discussed, and practiced. This research may support action towards a restoration future that is both effective and equitable.

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