Plant diversity during restoration can have a positive influence on ecosystem functioning due to the use of complementary resources by plant species. Facilitation can also enhance ecosystem functioning due to the improvement of environmental conditions by nurse plants, leading to greater establishment and growth of neighbouring species. Therefore, the roles of biodiversity and facilitation in promoting ecosystem functioning and restoration success must be deeply understood. In 2016, we implemented a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function (BEF) restoration experiment in a semi-arid tropical region where plant-plant facilitation interactions and tree species diversity were experimentally manipulated. In this experiment, we implemented 46 models of restored plant communities that were replicated at least three times. In these model communities, plant diversity levels ranged from 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 species. Facilitation was included in the experimental design by assembling communities in which plant species ranged from low to high facilitation potential, which was previously defined in field experiments. Annual monitoring of this restoration experiment since its implementation has revealed important gains in carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but has also shown that the diversity and presence of nurse trees increases flower production, important for honey production, as well leaf production, important for the extraction of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products mapped to the 16 native tree species used in the restoration models. These data provide a basis for the creation of a portfolio of restoration models that promote biodiversity and forest functioning while allowing the extraction of bioproducts from the restored areas by rural populations living in semiarid regions. Future perspectives on how biodiversity can provide economic engagement for people during large-scale restoration practices are discussed.