Plant Species Diversity and Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Estimates suggest around 500,000 land plant species, exceeding the diversity of birds and mammals, and rivaled only by fungi and beetles. The diversity of plant species is an elemental component of ecosystems worldwide, playing a fundamental role in maintaining ecological balance and sustaining life on Earth. Plant species diversity refers to the variety and abundance of plant species in a given area and is essential for the stability of ecosystems: diverse plant communities are more resilient to environmental changes such as extreme weather events, diseases and invasive species. They provide essential ecosystem services such as soil stabilization, water purification and carbon sequestration. However, in recent decades, habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, overexploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change have led to a significant loss of plant diversity. Despite its importance, plant species diversity is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, climate change and invasive species.

In this context, the conservation of plant species diversity requires coordinated efforts at local, national and global levels, such as habitat protection and restoration, sustainable land-use management and invasive species management.

We invite manuscripts aimed at highlighting the importance of plant species diversity in maintaining ecological balance and sustaining life on Earth. In addition, contributions may highlight threats to plant diversity such as deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change. They may further advocate the conservation of plant species diversity through coordinated efforts at different levels, including habitat protection and restoration, sustainable land use and invasive species management.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

• Plant species diversity;
• Threats to plant diversity;
• Conservation of plant species diversity.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Claudia D. Nicolae
Dr. Maria Mihaela Antofie
Dr. Oliviu Grigore Pop
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.