DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8s2
title: Data from: Overcoming the mismatch between restoration planning and implementation: The critical role of smallholders in Chile

description: Global restoration targets often rely on restoration prioritization maps
 that highlight areas with high ecological potential, yet real-world
 implementation frequently diverges due to land tenure, governance, and
 local socio-economic conditions. Following a large-scale forest fire in
 2017 that burned over 500,000 hectares, Chile’s Ministry of Environment
 designated 270,677 hectares as priority zones for landscape restoration in
 the Maule Region of central Chile. Using this context as a case study, we
 show how smallholders play a decisive role in shaping where and how
 restoration actually occurs on-the-ground. A comparison with official
 records and field data from 1,922 hectares of forest restoration
 implemented between 2017 and 2024 reveals a clear disconnect: only 12.7%
 of this restored area overlapped with the 270,677 hectares designated by
 the government as priority zones. Instead, 87% of the total restored area
 occurred on lands owned by private smallholders, even though they
 collectively own only about one-fifth of the total land within these
 priority zones. To bridge the gap between model-driven prioritization and
 real-world conditions, we propose three practical steps: (i) integrate
 land tenure and governance into spatial planning, (ii) redesign incentives
 to support smallholders, and (iii) adopt adaptive, co-produced frameworks.
 Refining outreach and incentives for corporate and state landholders is
 also key to broader engagement. Chile’s experience highlights that
 smallholders are not refining top-down restoration priorities, they are
 revealing where restoration is actually feasible. They restore in places
 where tenure, logistics, and livelihoods align, exposing the existing
 limitations of widely used prioritization models and clarifying where
 restoration can realistically occur. Recognising the role of smallholders
 in driving and sustaining restoration efforts can strengthen the
 legitimacy, feasibility, and long-term success of large-scale restoration
 efforts. Empowering landowners is essential to closing the gap between
 ambitious global targets and effective local action.
description: Data collected through document review and geospatial data
 processing using shapefiles.
description: # Data from: Overcoming the mismatch between restoration planning and
 implementation: The critical role of smallholders in Chile Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8s2](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8s2) ##
 Description of the data and file structure The documents contain the
 general database of the study.  1.
 **Priority_restoration_area_Maule_Chile_2017_19.zip**\ This shapefile
 corresponds to the official restoration priority areas for the Maule
 Region, Chile, defined by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment (MMA)
 following the 2016–2017 megafires. These data originate from the public
 project:\ *“Planificación ecológica de la infraestructura ecológica de la
 biodiversidad y sus servicios ecosistémicos y programa regional de
 prioridades de restauración ecológica en el contexto de los incendios de
 la temporada 2016–2017: aplicación en Región del Maule”* (Public tender
 ID: 608897-95-LP17).\ The dataset includes polygon geometries with
 attributes describing priority classification and spatial extent. Area
 values are expressed in hectares (ha). This layer was used as the
 reference spatial prioritization framework in our analysis. 2.
 **Restoration_area_Maule.zip**\ This shapefile was fully constructed by
 the authors and represents forest restoration projects implemented in the
 Maule Region between 2017 and 2024. Attributes include project
 identifiers, implementation year, land tenure category, funding source,
 and restored area (ha). These data were compiled from official public
 programs (e.g., Más Bosques, Siembra por Chile) and private initiatives
 with explicit ecological restoration objectives. 3.
 **within_priority_areas_Maule_Chile.zip**\ This shapefile is a derived
 dataset resulting from the spatial intersection between
 *Priority_restoration_area_Maule_Chile_2017_19* and
 *Restoration_area_Maule*. It quantifies the area of implemented
 restoration projects that spatially overlap with official priority areas.
 Attributes report intersected area values in hectares (ha) and link back
 to the original restoration project identifiers. This layer was used
 exclusively to calculate the proportion of restoration occurring within
 versus outside priority areas. **CC0 license compatibility** We confirm
 that all data submitted to Dryad are compatible with the CC0 license
 waiver. * The **Restoration_area_Maule** and
 **within_priority_areas_Maule_Chile** datasets were generated entirely by
 the authors and can be released into the public domain without
 restriction. * The **Priority_restoration_area_Maule_Chile_2017_19**
 dataset originates from a publicly funded governmental project led by the
 Chilean Ministry of the Environment and is publicly available for
 scientific and policy use. The version deposited in Dryad is used for
 analytical purposes, includes no access restrictions, and does not violate
 any copyright or licensing constraints incompatible with CC0.