Climate and Land-Use Change Effects on the Biogeography of Woody Plant Species and Biodiversity Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Plant biodiversity, encompassing over 400,000 known taxa with approximately 2000 new species described annually, faces unprecedented challenges in the Anthropocene. This remarkable diversity, distributed heterogeneously across the globe, is experiencing accelerated decline due to human activities. Since the Industrial Revolution, biodiversity loss has been documented across all levels—taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, and genetic—primarily due to habitat degradation and fragmentation. Contemporary pressures, including climate change, land use transformation, and elevated extinction rates, are reshaping ecosystem dynamics, promoting biotic homogenization, and disrupting established species interactions.

The Mediterranean region, recognized as the world's second largest biodiversity hotspot, stands at a critical juncture. This region harbors an exceptional concentration of vulnerable taxa and is projected to experience some of the most severe impacts of climate and land use change. Despite numerous conservation initiatives aimed at addressing the ongoing extinction crisis, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding which plant species are most threatened, their geographic distribution, and the underlying causes of their vulnerability.

This Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of plant diversity patterns and conservation challenges in the Mediterranean basin. We welcome contributions addressing various aspects, including but not limited to, the following:

• Species distribution modeling under climate change scenarios;
• Impact assessment of land use changes on plant communities;
• Conservation genetics and population dynamics;
• Ecosystem service evaluation of threatened plant species;
• Novel conservation strategies and management approaches;
• Historical biogeography and phylogenetic studies;
• Ethnobotanical research on socio-economically important taxa;
• Restoration ecology and habitat rehabilitation;
• Policy implications for biodiversity conservation.

By bringing together cutting-edge research across various scales—from molecular to ecosystem levels—this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and preserving Mediterranean plant diversity in an era of rapid environmental change.

Dr. Kostas Kougioumoutzis
Guest Editor

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