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Environments
Special Issues
Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments
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Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2025) | Viewed by 13074

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Federica Cacciatore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Venice, Italy
Interests: transitional and coastal waters; environmental impact assessment; ecological and chemical status quality; statistical data analysis; ecological restoration; water framework directive; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rossella Boscolo Brusà

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Venice, Italy
Interests: transitional waters; restoration of coastal lagoon; monitoring human impact; water framework directive; environmental lagoon management; nature-based solutions; climate change; ecological status quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, many marine and coastal ecosystems have experienced a decrease in their environmental status. Multiple stressors, such as pollutants, excess of nutrient inputs, fishing and harvesting of aquatic resources, shipping activities and some recreational activities, direct destruction or reduction in habitats, and other ecosystem alterations, as well as issues related to climate change, such as sea-level rise, coastal squeeze and erosion, can impact biological processes, alter ecosystem functions and decrease global and local biodiversity. The protection and restoration of these ecosystems are a high priority. Thus, they may recover from anthropogenic perturbations by following natural restoration. Otherwise, anthropogenic interventions can redirect the recovery through ecological restoration.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together scientific studies carried out on ecological restoration in marine, coastal and transitional waters. Submissions on the following issues related to ecological restoration, among other issues, are welcome:

  • Case studies;
  • New approaches to assess goals’ restorative activities;
  • Remediation of impacted areas;
  • Restoration ecology: address causes and study the process;
  • Nature-based solutions;
  • Ecological service assessment in restoration;
  • Eco-engineering measures.

Dr. Federica Cacciatore
Dr. Rossella Boscolo Brusà
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. Environments 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 1800 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

  • marine, coastal and transitional waters
  • habitat status
  • wildlife/species
  • ecological services
  • nature based solutions
  • environmental restoration

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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13 pages, 5323 KB  
Article
Balancing Durability and Sustainability: Field Performance of Plastic and Biodegradable Materials in Eastern Oyster Breakwater Reef Restoration
by Marc H. Hanke, Shannon Batte and Rachel C. Goebel
Environments 2026, 13(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010042 - 9 Jan 2026
Viewed by 379
Abstract
With the historical and consistent population declines of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), restoration projects commonly deploy plastic bags (polyethylene) filled with recycled oyster cultch. Oyster cultch bags are utilized as material to stabilize sediment and provide a substrate for oyster [...] Read more.
With the historical and consistent population declines of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), restoration projects commonly deploy plastic bags (polyethylene) filled with recycled oyster cultch. Oyster cultch bags are utilized as material to stabilize sediment and provide a substrate for oyster larval recruitment, which provides a habitat for associated organisms and decreases marsh erosion. In addition to the plastic mesh bags utilized to contain oyster cultch, this study also utilized three different biodegradable oyster bag material types (biopolymer, basalt, and cellulose) to determine (1) the influence of bag type on oyster population dynamics, (2) bag durability over time (<1 year), and (3) the cost–benefits for each bag type, calculated via a Weighted Product Model (WPM), within a subsection of the West Galveston Bay Estuary, Texas. For bag type, the results suggested that plastic bags were the most resilient, followed by biopolymer, basalt, and cellulose bags. Plastic bags supported the highest oyster abundance and growth, demonstrating their effectiveness for establishing breakwater reefs. The WPM analysis indicated that plastic bags are inexpensive to deploy and, due to their longevity, are easily monitored over time. However, degradation of plastic bags may introduce microplastics into the environment, posing ingestion risks for bivalves. Whereas the nature-based solutions degraded quickly, inhibiting continuous monitoring, yet the loose cultch may facilitate the natural formation of reefs over time. The results highlight tradeoffs between maximizing oyster recruitment and growth, minimizing environmental contamination, and balancing ecological performance with material sustainability in oyster reef restoration practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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22 pages, 2987 KB  
Article
Long- and Mid-Term Trends in the Waterbird Community: Functional and Ecological Turnovers After Restoration of Freshwater and Brackish Habitats in a Mediterranean Coastal Wetland
by Pablo Vera, José Ignacio Dies, Diana Ferrís and Anna Valentín
Environments 2024, 11(12), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11120298 - 21 Dec 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1917
Abstract
In the Mediterranean, urban and agricultural development has led to the degradation of coastal habitats and a decline in wetland biodiversity. L’Albufera de Valencia is a paradigmatic case-study, with intensive rice fields, scarcity of natural aquatic habitats, and an unfavorable conservation status. Since [...] Read more.
In the Mediterranean, urban and agricultural development has led to the degradation of coastal habitats and a decline in wetland biodiversity. L’Albufera de Valencia is a paradigmatic case-study, with intensive rice fields, scarcity of natural aquatic habitats, and an unfavorable conservation status. Since the 1990s, restoration efforts have been made in freshwater and brackish environments. In this study, long-, medium-, and short-term dynamics and ecological and functional traits were analyzed for waterbird communities. We found that restoration of these areas had facilitated the establishment of resilient communities with higher specialization and diversity than the rest of the protected area, including threatened species. Overall, restoration has improved population dynamics and ecological traits in L’Albufera compared to the surrounding hyper-eutrophic lagoon and rice fields. The findings reveal two complementary conservation paradoxes linked to ecological succession. Initial dynamics affected small, pioneer species of high conservation value, while larger species of conservation concern displaced them over time. Dynamics were influenced by body mass, with less competition in freshwater species. Notably, large waders and vegetation gleaners nesting in restored freshwater wetlands exhibited greater sensitivity to ecological succession, reversing regional declines. These paradoxes highlight the importance of increasing restoration efforts in various stages of succession to meet the ecological needs of threatened species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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13 pages, 665 KB  
Article
Economic Values for Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in Florida
by Kristy Wallmo and Mary E. Allen
Environments 2024, 11(11), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110261 - 20 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5052
Abstract
Florida’s coral reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and provides valuable ecosystem services, such as recreation and tourism, erosion protection, and other services. Florida’s reefs have been declining due to impacts from climate change, pollution, and other pressures. In [...] Read more.
Florida’s coral reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and provides valuable ecosystem services, such as recreation and tourism, erosion protection, and other services. Florida’s reefs have been declining due to impacts from climate change, pollution, and other pressures. In response, various conservation strategies have been implemented, including education and outreach, growing corals in nurseries and transplanting them to degraded reef sites, and deploying artificial reefs. However, few studies have estimated an explicit value for different strategies to attain conservation goals. Understanding economic values for reef restoration and enhancement is needed to help inform decision-making and support marine policy. This study conducted a stated preference choice experiment survey to examine the way U.S. residents make economic trade-offs among different restoration strategies, including increasing coral cover, deploying artificial reefs, and limiting visitor access to reef sites. The results suggest that, on average, the economic value of increasing coral cover is about twice as high as the value of increasing the number of artificial reef sites. Economic values for reducing visitation were similar to values for increasing the number of artificial reefs. These results provide essential information to policy analysts concerning reef use, reef importance, and economic values for reef restoration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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6 pages, 221 KB  
Opinion
Challenges in Restoring Mediterranean Seagrass Ecosystems in the Anthropocene
by Monica Montefalcone
Environments 2024, 11(5), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11050086 - 23 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3869
Abstract
The intense human pressures in the Anthropocene epoch are causing an alarming decline in marine coastal ecosystems and an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. This situation underscores the urgency of making ecological restoration a global priority to recover degraded ecosystems. Meadows of the endemic [...] Read more.
The intense human pressures in the Anthropocene epoch are causing an alarming decline in marine coastal ecosystems and an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. This situation underscores the urgency of making ecological restoration a global priority to recover degraded ecosystems. Meadows of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica have lost more than half of their original extent in the last century, necessitating immediate conservation and management measures, supported by active restoration interventions. This paper explores new opportunities and provides specific recommendations to enhance restoration as a fundamental strategy for reversing the decline of P. oceanica ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. When a return to a historical pristine reference condition may not be feasible in the short term or desirable given current environmental conditions and uncertainty, transplanting the tolerant and fast-growing seagrass species Cymodocea nodosa could facilitate natural recolonization. This would occur through secondary ecological succession, benefiting the sensitive and slow-growing species P. oceanica. Future global and local efforts should primarily focus on proactive management to prevent further alterations by planning appropriate conservation measures in a timely manner to mitigate and reverse global changes. As a secondary step, restoration programs can be implemented with a focus on ‘target-oriented’ rather than ‘reference-oriented’ conditions, aiming to establish ecosystems capable of sustaining the future rather than replicating the historical environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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