Forest restoration initiatives, spearheaded by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, local communities, and private-sector entities, are extending across the tropics. The tropical restoration movement is likely to continue to expand over the coming decades, due to global reforestation commitments, like the Bonn Challenge, and developing voluntary carbon markets. A critical component of these restoration efforts is the capacity to Monitor, Report, and Verify (MRV) the outcomes of interventions. MRV frameworks are essential for assessing the ecological, carbon storage, and socioeconomic impacts of restoration projects. To standardize these assessments, a variety of mechanisms have been proposed, which primarily aim to track key indicators of restoration success, such as carbon sequestration rates and biodiversity recovery.

Tropical forest ecologists have spent decades refining methodologies to study forest structure, species diversity, and the community composition of various taxa. These approaches encompass both traditional field-based techniques and innovative technologies, such as remote sensing and environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. Leveraging this body of research is crucial for advancing robust and scalable MRV strategies that can guide the restoration process and ensure accountability in meeting restoration objectives. Here we aim to highlight how this body of research can inform restoration monitoring in the tropics, in terms of both focal taxa and key techniques, and the intensity and scale of monitoring required.