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Conservation
Special Issues
Forest Ecosystem Restoration
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Forest Ecosystem Restoration

A special issue of Conservation (ISSN 2673-7159). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2027 | Viewed by 2228

Editors

Dr. Javier Velázquez Saornil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environment and Agroforestry, Universidad Católica de Ávila, Calle de los Canteros, S/N, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Interests: conservation; climate change; land management; social aspects of climate change; geographic information systems (GIS)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Derya Gülçin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09100, Türkiye
Interests: landscape ecology; biodiversity conservation; ecological niche modeling; GIS and spatial analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Víctor Rincón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza de Ramón y Cajal, S/N, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biodiversity and conservation; connectivity; GIS; land use and environmental planning; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A rising front in global conservation efforts, forest ecosystem restoration is recognized as a crucial strategy for stopping biodiversity loss, mitigating climate change, and advancing sustainable development. The urgency of restoring degraded forests has never been more apparent as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration stresses, which calls for coordinated action to prevent, stop, and reverse ecosystem degradation worldwide. Healthy forests underlie world health, provide essential ecosystem services, and support the livelihoods of millions of people.

This Special Issue aims to gather innovative ideas, creative approaches, and transdisciplinary perspectives advancing the science and practice of forest ecosystem restoration. Complementing the journal's commitment to transdisciplinary conservation research, the scope addresses ecological, sociological, economic, and governmental aspects in a wide range. Reflecting the range of challenges and opportunities in forest restoration, we invite contributions addressing restoration at many levels—from local interventions to landscape and worldwide projects.

Encouraging contributions from researchers, practitioners, legislators, and community leaders, the Special Issue seeks to foster communication across sectors and disciplines. By aggregating knowledge gained and stressing successful models, this collection will direct future restoration activities and help toward worldwide goals. Ultimately, this Special Issue will offer a forum for group action, knowledge sharing, and creative inspiration to help protect the forest ecosystems of the Earth for future generations.

Dr. Javier Velázquez Saornil
Dr. Derya Gulcin
Dr. Víctor Rincón
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Conservation is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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.

Keywords

  • restoration
  • forestry
  • conservation
  • ecosystems services
  • governance
  • nature-based solutions
  • conservation planning

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 11638 KB  
Article
Socio-Ecological Barriers to the Sustainable Management of the Andean Walnut (Juglans neotropica) and the Value Paradox in the Ecuadorian Andes: A Case Study from Imbabura Province, Ecuador
by Oscar Hernando Eraso Terán, Guillermo David Varela Jacome, Mario José Añazco Romero and Hugo Vinicio Vallejos Álvarez
Conservation 2026, 6(2), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation6020052 - 24 Apr 2026
Viewed by 633
Abstract
The Andean walnut (Juglans neotropica Diels), locally known as tocte, is a keystone tree species of major socio-ecological importance in South American mountain ecosystems, facing severe anthropogenic pressure associated with genetic erosion, habitat fragmentation, and unregulated selective logging. This article presents a [...] Read more.
The Andean walnut (Juglans neotropica Diels), locally known as tocte, is a keystone tree species of major socio-ecological importance in South American mountain ecosystems, facing severe anthropogenic pressure associated with genetic erosion, habitat fragmentation, and unregulated selective logging. This article presents a case study applying a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine the power relations and institutional failures shaping the sustainable management of its value chain in Imbabura Province, Ecuador. Drawing on 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with key actors (including woodcarvers, sawyers, traders, and environmental authorities) conducted between March and September 2025 until theoretical saturation was achieved, and supported by thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, we identified five thematic categories revealing the tension between cultural valuation and market pressure. The findings confirm the existence of a value paradox, whereby high timber demand paradoxically accelerates resource depletion rather than incentivizing conservation, as premature harvesting of young trees undermines the viability of non-timber forest products such as nuts and accelerates the loss of local genetic resources. We conclude that the long-term conservation of the species requires a transition toward polycentric stewardship, community forestry enterprises, and integrated landscape management in which the standing tree is formally recognized as carrying greater ecological and economic value than harvested timber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Restoration)
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22 pages, 14769 KB  
Article
Measurement and Analysis of Spatiotemporal Patterns of Tourist Use Within Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
by Juan Diego Araya Vargas, Ana Hernando, Jessica Mata Miranda and Javier Velazquez
Conservation 2026, 6(2), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation6020051 - 21 Apr 2026
Viewed by 890
Abstract
Costa Rica is a small country in terms of land area, but it is rich in natural resources and home to between 5 and 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity. The country is a leader in the conservation and sustainable use of protected [...] Read more.
Costa Rica is a small country in terms of land area, but it is rich in natural resources and home to between 5 and 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity. The country is a leader in the conservation and sustainable use of protected areas through tourism, which is considered a pillar of the national economy and has become one of the most important activities for generating revenue. However, like any other activity, it can exert pressure on the environment in which it takes place, making it essential to analyze and understand how protected areas are used to implement effective management strategies. This study evaluates the frequency of tourism-related use of Corcovado National Park, considering the implementation of three key elements: 1. the frequency with which companies use the park for their tourism activities, 2. visitor density per kilometer by ranger station, and 3. the frequency of trail use based on voluntary geographic information. The research enabled the collection, analysis, and visualization of data using GIS, which facilitated the identification of tourism usage patterns by highlighting the most visited areas and establishing correlations regarding visitor density within the protected area. Among the most significant findings are sites that may be experiencing increased tourism pressure, offering the possibility of managing usage restrictions in specific areas of each station. Spatial analysis has identified areas with lower visitor concentrations, which can be leveraged to promote new attractions and disperse tourist flow throughout the park, thereby reducing pressure on the ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Restoration)
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