Ecology, Conservation and Resilience of Forested Wetlands Under Global Environmental Change

Dear Colleagues,

Forested wetlands, including floodplains, riparian forests, mangroves and veredas, are critical ecotones operating at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Historically recognized as hotspots of biodiversity and vital regulators of global biogeochemical cycles, these systems are inherently driven by complex hydrological regimes, such as the flood pulse. Despite their ecological importance and high capacity for carbon sequestration, forested wetlands have faced accelerated degradation over the last century due to land-use conversion, hydrological damming and chemical pollution. Today, the intensification of anthropogenic pressures alongside severe climate-driven anomalies (e.g., prolonged droughts, extreme flooding and shifting fire regimes) threatens the structural integrity, core biodiversity and functionality of these delicate networks.

This Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research that elucidate how forested wetlands respond, adapt or succumb to global environmental changes and anthropogenic stressors. By bridging foundational plant ecology with applied environmental sciences, this issue seeks to advance our understanding of community dynamics, eco-efficiency and conservation priorities in tropical, subtropical and temperate wet forests. We welcome studies evaluating both macroscopic shifts in biodiversity and microscopic physiological mechanisms triggered by climate fluctuations and chemical runoff.

We highly encourage submissions utilizing innovative methodologies that push the boundaries of wetland science. This includes the application of high-resolution remote sensing (SAR, LiDAR) and species distribution modeling (SDM) to map structural degradation; advanced ecotoxicological assessments tracking the fate of pesticides and heavy metals in aquatic matrices and molecular or physiological studies on seed germination, hypoxia tolerance and metabolic responses to compound stressors (drought plus fire). Research focusing on socio-ecological management, sustainable use and nature-based solutions (NbS) for wetland restoration is also of great interest.

We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, short communications and case studies covering, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Ecological dynamics, zonation and flood/drought tolerance of floodplain trees and aquatic macrophytes.
• Impacts of climate change, altered hydrological pulses and wildfire encroachment on wetland biodiversity.
• Ecotoxicological monitoring, pesticide transport and the impacts of environmental stressors on aquatic biota.
• Invasive species dynamics, distribution modeling and management strategies in native wetlands.
• Biogeography, dendrochronology and evolutionary pathways in transition zones.
• Socio-ecological frameworks, policy initiatives and engineered solutions for sustainable wetland restoration.

Prof. Dr. Aline Lopes
Prof. Dr. Maria Teresa Fernandez Piedade
Dr. Pia Parolin
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. Forests 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 2600 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.

• forested wetlands
• aquatic macrophytes
• floodplain ecology
• climate change
• ecotoxicology
• invasive species
• biodiversity conservation
• environmental stressors
• species distribution modeling
• nature-based solutions