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Diversity
Special Issues
Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands
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Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2025) | Viewed by 3702

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Thomas Fickert

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
German Alpine Club, Baden-Württemberg Branch, Nature Conservation Unit, Fritz-Walter-Weg 19, 70372 Stuttgart, Germany
Interests: mangrove ecology; high mountain research; vegetation dynamics; plant ecology; plant diversity; vegetation geography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal wetlands, including mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass beds, are indispensable ecosystems that occupy a narrow yet critical fringe along the shores of all continents. The ecological restoration of these wetlands is crucial for maintaining their functioning and conserving their biodiversity and ecological services. These ecosystems play a pivotal role in flood and erosion protection, carbon sequestration, and water purification, among other vital functions. However, they are fragile and vulnerable to natural disturbances such as storms, tsunamis, or sea level rise, as well as land reclamation, deforestation, eutrophication, and other anthropogenic activities, which have led to significant losses in wetland area over the past few decades. Therefore, besides natural regeneration, ecological restoration efforts are essential for revitalizing these wetlands and ensuring their continued functioning and conservation. By understanding and mitigating these disturbances, we can protect these crucial ecosystems and their invaluable contributions to both natural and human communities.

This Special Issue will provide a platform for sharing the latest research advancements in these areas. We welcome submissions across diverse disciplines related to the ecological restoration, functioning, and conservation of coastal wetlands. Short communications, research papers, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Thomas Fickert
Guest Editor

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2100 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

  • coastal wetlands
  • salt marshes
  • mangroves
  • seagrass
  • habitat diversity
  • functioning
  • restoration
  • regeneration
  • wetland biodiversity
  • wetland conservation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1046 KB  
Article
Patterns of Species Dominance in Two Coastal Restorations: Evidence of Sustained Seagrass Success over Long Time Scales
by Susan S. Bell and Kasey L. MacLeod
Diversity 2025, 17(12), 832; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17120832 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 261
Abstract
Restoration in coastal settings by reconstructing seagrass coverage after widespread loss has generally been monitored over a short time, with few studies extending ≥5 years. We assemble monitoring data available from two seagrass restoration areas in Florida, USA, to examine community development of [...] Read more.
Restoration in coastal settings by reconstructing seagrass coverage after widespread loss has generally been monitored over a short time, with few studies extending ≥5 years. We assemble monitoring data available from two seagrass restoration areas in Florida, USA, to examine community development of benthic macrophytes from 1989 to 2025 after planting of the early successional seagrass, Halodule wrightii. Using field data collected at varying intervals, we (1) examined patterns of species persistence, investigating species replacement or persistence of benthic macrophyte taxa and (2) compared temporal patterns of species dominance in restored versus nearby natural reference sites. The pattern and tempo of seagrass expansion by H. wrightii at each of the two restoration areas differed. At Lassing Park, episodes of H. wrightii dominance were intermixed with a period of multi-species composition and co-dominance. After a bloom of the macroalga, Caulerpa prolifera, displaced seagrass in 2006, H. wrightii quickly recolonized the restoration site. At Shell Key, H. wrightii was the only species recorded at the restoration site over two decades. Species dominance by H. wrightii was recorded in both restoration and natural sites. Our findings illustrate the value of long-term monitoring for evaluating the resilience of restoration efforts and adopting extended monitoring programs. Such efforts would be enhanced by the genesis of innovative ideas for data collection and new methods for following the post-planting of seagrass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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25 pages, 2622 KB  
Article
Relative Influence of Salinity in the Flow and Accumulation of Organic Carbon in Open-Water Karstic Mangroves
by Angélica Paola Quintero Alvarado, Jairo Humberto Medina Calderón and José Ernesto Mancera-Pineda
Diversity 2025, 17(5), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17050360 - 19 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488
Abstract
Carbonat—open-water mangroves have high organic carbon (OC) content, apparently due to sediments’ biophysical characteristics. However, the role of key regulators such as salinity and hydroperiod, which modulate the forest structure and, therefore, carbon dynamics, has been little explored. This study evaluates the influence [...] Read more.
Carbonat—open-water mangroves have high organic carbon (OC) content, apparently due to sediments’ biophysical characteristics. However, the role of key regulators such as salinity and hydroperiod, which modulate the forest structure and, therefore, carbon dynamics, has been little explored. This study evaluates the influence of salinity on the accumulation of aerial and underground OC (production of litter and roots), in open—water karstic forests. To this end, an experimental design was implemented on San Andrés Island, where an edaphic salinity gradient exists due to the water regime. Three physiographic types of mangroves, characterized by different saline regimes, were selected for the study. Two inland forests were selected, both of which exhibited a mesohaline regime (9.63 ± 6.26 and 11.54 ± 7.46 PSU), while a third site corresponded to a euhaline fringe forest (37.47 ± 5.76 PSU). The final location was characterized by a hyperhaline regime basin forest (62.36 ± 10.54 PSU). The fundamental hypothesis posited an inverse relationship between salinity and litter production, and a direct relationship between salinity and root production. To assess root production, the growth core implantation technique (108 soil cores) was employed, with live roots selected based on diameter (<2, 2–5, and 5–20 mm). The mean (±SD) OC content in dry litter (Mg C ha−1y−1) was 8.96 ± 0.28; 5.57 ± 0.15; 6.31 ± 0.27; and 4.54 ± 0.8; while The production of dry roots was 0.41 ± 0.08; 1.19 ± 0.46; 1.30 ± 0.5; and 0.24 ± 0.20, for the mesohaline forests, the euhaline forest, and the hyperhaline forest, respectively. The proposed hypotheses were confirmed when considering only the extreme salinity ranges. Upon incorporating all salinity ranges from the four forests into the analysis, it was observed that litter production exhibited a tendency to decrease with increasing salinity, while root production demonstrated a tendency to increase. However, this trend did not attain statistical significance, thereby suggesting that, in addition to salinity, other factors may also regulate production processes. These findings serve to affirm the high productivity of carbonate environments and the contribution of autochthonous production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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15 pages, 5046 KB  
Article
Changes and Influencing Factors of Carbon Content in Surface Sediments of Different Sedimentary Environments Along the Jiangsu Coast, China
by Linlu Xu, Hui Ye, Jianing Yin, Qiang Shu and Yuxin Fan
Diversity 2025, 17(3), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17030158 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 693
Abstract
Coastal areas are essential for global ‘blue carbon’ burial, significantly impacting the global carbon cycle. To better understand the carbon burial capacity, impact factors, and response mechanisms of surface sediments in different coastline regions, this study investigated the surface sediments of the Spartina [...] Read more.
Coastal areas are essential for global ‘blue carbon’ burial, significantly impacting the global carbon cycle. To better understand the carbon burial capacity, impact factors, and response mechanisms of surface sediments in different coastline regions, this study investigated the surface sediments of the Spartina alterniflora vegetation, transition, and bare flat areas along Jiangsu coast in China. The results indicated significant changes in organic carbon (OC), inorganic carbon (IC), and various physicochemical property indicators between the three coastal environments. There were also significant differences in the important impact factors of OC and IC in each region. In areas of vegetation, OC and IC influenced each other, while nitrogen (N), clay, and sand were common impact factors. The pH only had a significant impact on OC. In the bare flat area, the important impact factors of OC and IC were identical: OC/IC, clay, salinity (SAL), and sand. However, the important impact factors of OC and IC in the transition area have undergone significant changes. The important impact factors of OC were N, total phosphorus (TP), total sulfur (TS), SAL, and sand. The partial least squares regression analysis results of IC were poor, and there were no important impact factors. This study refined the spatial distribution patterns and response mechanisms to the important impact factors of carbon in different coastal subregions, providing a basis for accurately evaluating the role of coastal wetlands in mitigating global climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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Review

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22 pages, 1953 KB  
Review
Ecological Restoration in Laurentian Great Lakes Wetlands: A Literature Review
by Dominique Rumball, Scott M. Reid and Nicholas E. Mandrak
Diversity 2025, 17(11), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17110797 - 16 Nov 2025
Viewed by 680
Abstract
The Laurentian Great Lakes basin, the largest surface freshwater ecosystem in the world, is heavily impacted by anthropogenic stressors including wetland degradation and loss. Ecological restoration has been identified as a tool to conserve and manage Great Lakes wetlands where studies undergo planning, [...] Read more.
The Laurentian Great Lakes basin, the largest surface freshwater ecosystem in the world, is heavily impacted by anthropogenic stressors including wetland degradation and loss. Ecological restoration has been identified as a tool to conserve and manage Great Lakes wetlands where studies undergo planning, action, and evaluation stages. A review of 57 studies (1967–2023) on Great Lakes coastal and inland wetlands was conducted to determine when and where ecological restoration is occurring, what approaches are being taken, and how effective they are. Restoration occurred most in coastal wetlands located in the United States of America and Lake Erie. The most implemented monitoring designs were control-impact and before-after-control-impact designs. A common ecological objective of restoration was altering species composition for invasive species management. Studies targeting changes in biological communities integrated ecological theory well within the three stages of restoration. Variable restoration effectiveness was detected, where a mix of ecological objectives were targeted and monitored through many study designs. Future restoration efforts would benefit from greater financial and monitoring investments (especially during the planning stage), continued integration of ecological theory, development of lake-specific benchmarks to assess restoration success, and a collaborative approach that includes practitioner knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration, Functioning and Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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