The Conservation and Management of Agro- and Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Climate

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to forest and agroecosystems worldwide, impacting their functions, biodiversity, and resilience. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, long droughts, more frequent and intense wildfires, pests, and diseases are threatening not only the health and resilience of forest and agroecosystems but also the ecological and agrological services they provide, including sustainable food supplies, the conservation of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and watershed protection. Considering these challenges, there is an urgent need for research on the conservation and sustainable use of forest and agroecosystems.

This Special Issue seeks to explore innovative approaches to the sustainable use of agroecosystems and to conserving and managing forest ecosystems in the face of these environmental shifts. We invite submissions that explore adaptive management strategies, innovative conservation techniques, and policy frameworks designed to enhance the resilience of forest and agroecosystems to climate-related stressors. Our goal is to foster a deeper understanding of how scientists, forest managers, policymakers, and conservationists can work together to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on forest and agroecosystems and maintain their ecological integrity.

We welcome submissions that address a wide range of themes:

• Adaptive management in the face of climate uncertainty: How can forest management strategies evolve to accommodate the unpredictable impacts of climate change? This includes the adaptation of crops, livestock, soil, and water; pest and disease management; and sustainable agricultural practices.
• Conservation of biodiversity and genetic diversity: How can genetic diversity be preserved to ensure the adaptability of tree species to shifting climates? Genetic, species, ecosystem, and functional aspects of agricultural biodiversity should be considered. The importance of biodiversity for food security, resilience to climate change, sustainable agriculture, and cultural and economic value should also be addressed.
• Ecosystem restoration efforts: What are the most effective strategies for restoring degraded forest and agriculture ecosystems under climate change? Soil health restoration, carbon sequestration, water management, sustainable livestock management, and agroecological landscapes are included in this area of research.
• The impact of extreme events on forest and agriculture ecosystems: How do forest ecosystems respond to extreme climate events, such as droughts, wildfires, and storms? How do crop yields and livestock respond to heatwaves, droughts, flooding, and frost?
• Policy frameworks and governance for resilience: What policy innovations are needed to promote the sustainable management and conservation of forests under climate change? How does agricultural resilience relate to the ability of agricultural systems to absorb shocks, adapt to changing environmental conditions, and transform in response to emerging challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, market volatility, and other stressors?
• Interdisciplinary approaches to forest and agriculture conservation: How can insights from ecology, genetics, policy sciences, etc., be used to enhance forest management and conservation practices?

We encourage submissions from all agriculture and forestry fields that consider any of these theoretical frameworks. Applied research is welcome, as are a variety of article types, including original research papers, reviews, perspectives, and case studies.

This Special Issue will provide a platform for researchers, managers, and policymakers to share their research, and we encourage young scientists (doctoral and postdoctoral students, junior researchers) to contribute to this Special Issue and to share their knowledge and recent scientific findings and develop solutions that address the challenges agroecosystems and forests face in a changing climate. By fostering dialogue across disciplines, this Special Issue aims to highlight the critical role agroecosystems and forests play in mitigating climate change, safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring sustainable food chains while promoting sustainable forest and agroecosystem management practices.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Forests.

Dr. Monika Toleikienė
Dr. Darius Kavaliauskas
Dr. Viktorija Vaštakaitė-Kairienė
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• conservation
• biodiversity
• sustainable management
• climate change adaptation
• resilience of ecosystems