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Diversity
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation of Coastal Wetlands
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation of Coastal Wetlands

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3393

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guanglong Qiu

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Guest Editor
Guangxi Academy of Marine Sciences (Guangxi Mangrove Research Center), Beihai 536000, China
Interests: mangrove ecosystem; seagrass bed; coastal blue carbon; coastal wetland; marine biodiversity
Dr. Hao Cheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
Interests: mangrove ecology; environmental sciences; environmental engineering
Dr. Kit Yue Kwan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Interests: conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity
Dr. Qinghua Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou, China
Interests: marine biodiversity; marine ecological security; coastal zone planning and management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal wetlands—particularly mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes—represent critical biodiversity hotspots facing unprecedented pressures from climate change, habitat fragmentation, and anthropogenic activities. Understanding their ecological resilience requires integrated approaches spanning species survival mechanisms, ecosystem functionality, and sustainable management. Emerging technologies—such as AI-driven monitoring, genomic tools, and sky-land-sea integrated systems—are revolutionizing how we quantify biodiversity dynamics and intervention efficacy in these blue carbon ecosystems. Concurrently, the urgent need to reconcile conservation with human development demands innovative frameworks for ecological restoration and resource utilization.

This Special Issue highlights coastal wetland biodiversity as a model system for interdisciplinary research. We invite contributions addressing (including but not limited to):

  • Technological innovation in species/habitat monitoring,
  • Mechanisms of population persistence for endangered species,
  • Climate-adaptive ecosystem management, and
  • Sustainable resource use through community engagement and policy integration.

Studies elucidating cross-scale interactions (gene-to-landscape), novel conservation interventions, or socio-ecological co-benefit models are particularly encouraged. This collection aims to advance knowledge and actionable strategies for safeguarding these vital ecosystems globally.

Dr. Guanglong Qiu
Dr. Hao Cheng
Dr. Kit Yue Kwan
Dr. Qinghua Chen
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-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

  • mangrove
  • seagrass
  • salt marshes
  • climate change
  • anthropogenic activities

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 24614 KB  
Article
Ecological Characteristics of Temperate Seagrass Beds in Qingdao Coastal Waters and Ecological Response Relationships with Benthic Macrofauna Communities and Environmental Factors
by Jingjing Sha, Xiaoli Song, Peiyan Sun, Zhibo Yang, Mengmeng Bao, Hui Wang, Ruobing Wen, Qingyun Yu and Miao Wei
Diversity 2025, 17(12), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17120816 - 25 Nov 2025
Viewed by 876
Abstract
Seagrass beds are among the most productive and ecologically valuable coastal ecosystems. However, temperate nearshore seagrass beds exposed to urban stressors remain understudied. From 2020 to 2024, this study investigated seagrass communities, environmental factors, and benthic macrofauna in Qingdao’s coastal bays (Qingdao Bay, [...] Read more.
Seagrass beds are among the most productive and ecologically valuable coastal ecosystems. However, temperate nearshore seagrass beds exposed to urban stressors remain understudied. From 2020 to 2024, this study investigated seagrass communities, environmental factors, and benthic macrofauna in Qingdao’s coastal bays (Qingdao Bay, Huiquan Bay and Tangdao Bay) using field sampling and remote sensing. Redundancy analysis (RDA), Spearman correlation, and PERMANOVA were applied to clarify the ecological response relationships among these components. Results revealed significant spatiotemporal variations: Qingdao Bay experienced severe degradation with an 88% decline in belowground biomass. Huiquan Bay showed shoot height increases but ecological instability, while Tangdao Bay maintained relatively stable conditions. Mollusks dominated Qingdao Bay (67.4%), whereas annelids were prevalent in Huiquan Bay (51.8%) and Tangdao Bay (69.6%). Tangdao Bay supported the most complex and stable benthic communities. Water depth acted as a stressor to seagrass growth, while the role of dissolved oxygen and salinity was complex, exhibiting context-dependent relationships with seagrass parameters. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen and reactive phosphate were shared positive drivers for both seagrasses and macrofauna. This study conclusively links specific environmental drivers to seagrass ecosystem dynamics, delivering essential insights for effective ecological management and restoration strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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25 pages, 5037 KB  
Article
Prediction and Spatiotemporal Transfer of Vegetation Vulnerability in the South African Coastal Zone Under Different Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) Scenarios
by Minru Chen, Binglin Liu, Wanyi Zhu, Mingzhi Liang, Yi Hu, Liwen Li and Tingting Ouyang
Diversity 2025, 17(11), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17110753 - 28 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 843
Abstract
Against the background of the rapid transformation of traditional economies and societies and continuous global climate change, how to ensure the long-term stability of the coastal ecological environment has become a key issue to be studied. In this paper, we take the 20 [...] Read more.
Against the background of the rapid transformation of traditional economies and societies and continuous global climate change, how to ensure the long-term stability of the coastal ecological environment has become a key issue to be studied. In this paper, we take the 20 km buffer zone extending inland from the South African coastal zone as the study area. By constructing a vegetation vulnerability evaluation system, the current and future scenarios are compared in depth based on the base period (2010–2020), the near term (2030–2059), and the long term (2070–2099) with the help of GIS spatial analysis, the Moran index, and other methods. The results show that there are obvious spatial differences in vegetation vulnerability in the South African coastal zone. The extremely vulnerable areas of vegetation are mostly distributed on the west coast of South Africa, and some areas have obvious high–high aggregation patterns. The transfer of SSP1-2.6 scenarios in the near term is relatively stable, and the vegetation vulnerability level rebounds significantly in the long term; the vulnerability level of SSP2-4.5 scenarios has increased in both the near term and the long term, indicating that the risk of vegetation vulnerability has increased; while the SSP5-8.5 scenario has a significant deterioration trend in the long term, and the risk of vegetation vulnerability shifting to a high vulnerability level has increased significantly. Land use type has a significant impact on the response of vegetation vulnerability to SSP prediction. In the process of transformation from the base period to the long term, the proportion of vegetation vulnerability shifting to extremely vulnerable and severely vulnerable levels is notably high for both cultivated land and forest land—particularly under high-emission scenarios, driven by agricultural intensification for cultivated land and climate stress for forest land. This paper deeply explores the spatiotemporal evolution law and driving mechanism of vegetation vulnerability in the South African coastal zone under different shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios, providing decision support for better development and protection of the South African coastal zone in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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Review

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24 pages, 2306 KB  
Review
The Evolving Role of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning in Enhancing Blue Carbon Ecosystems Governance: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Yanhong Lin, Jiaju Lin, Faming Huang, Yancheng Tao, Jianhua Liao, Kebing Wang, Guanglong Qiu and Wenai Liu
Diversity 2026, 18(2), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/d18020115 - 11 Feb 2026
Viewed by 902
Abstract
Blue carbon ecosystems are critical biodiversity hotspots facing escalating threats. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) is a key policy tool for protecting their biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services, resilience, climate action, and sustainable development. We performed a systematic bibliometric analysis (1981–2025) using [...] Read more.
Blue carbon ecosystems are critical biodiversity hotspots facing escalating threats. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) is a key policy tool for protecting their biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services, resilience, climate action, and sustainable development. We performed a systematic bibliometric analysis (1981–2025) using the Web of Science Core Collection. The results indicated that global CMSP–blue carbon ecosystems collaborative research exhibits a three-stage evolutionary pattern: the initial phase (2008–2012) of blue carbon concept introduction; the development phase (2013–2018), where research focus shifted to carbon sinks and ecology driven by policy initiatives; and the growth phase (2019–2025), where research focused on precision systematic governance. Research has evolved from baseline ecosystem assessments to policy governance integration, which emerged as a core component of Marine Spatial Planning to advance sustainable development. Research networks exhibit a “center–periphery” pattern. However, the international influence of China’s research output remains limited. Future CMSP collaborative governance will require refining planning frameworks, addressing regional technical adaptation challenges, and establishing a multidimensional policy system to reconcile the effective conservation of blue carbon ecosystems in order to reconcile biodiversity, resilience, and sustainable development. This study maps the CMSP–blue carbon ecosystems research landscape, informing improved climate-friendly marine and coastal spatial planning for enhanced coastal wetland biodiversity and ecological resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation of Coastal Wetlands)
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