Integrating AI and Spatial Technologies for Forest Plant Inventories and Evolutionary Research in Biodiversity Hotspots to Support SDGs
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Biodiversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: forest plant biodiversity; plant taxonomy and systematics; remote sensing and gis applications in ecology; climate change impact on forest ecosystems; conservation biology and ecological restoration; species distribution modeling; ethnobotany and traditional plant knowledge; forest inventory and monitoring techniques
Interests: remote sensing; geographic information systems (GIS); geospatial analysis; data-driven modeling; forest ecosystem monitoring; forest health assessment; species distribution modeling; multi-sensor satellite data; climate–vegetation interactions; drought impact; temperature variability; land degradation; wildfire risk mapping; vegetation decline; arid and transitional environments; sustainable forest management; ecosystem restoration; sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Interests: geographic information science; remote sensing; forestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleague,
Forest ecosystems in biodiversity hotspots are important reservoirs of world plant diversity, but they are under unprecedented pressure from habitat fragmentation, climate change, and human disturbances. Yet, despite their ecological importance, many forest plant taxa remain poorly documented, and their evolutionary paths under changing environmental conditions are not entirely known. Consequently, this Special Issue seeks to fill these gaps by emphasizing novel approaches that integrate advanced inventory techniques with evolutionary research to improve conservation and sustainable management.
We welcome, therefore, submissions that use spatial technologies (e.g., remote sensing, GIS, and modeling), artificial intelligence-driven identification and monitoring, and molecular taxonomy to improve the accuracy and efficiency of forest plant inventories. Studies that investigate disturbance dynamics—such as land use change, forest degradation, and climate-induced stressors, as well as their impact on plant diversity and evolutionary processes—are especially welcomed. This Special Issue aims to give actionable insights for biodiversity conservation strategies that are linked with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by combining field-based observations with computational modeling and big data analytics.
Topics of interest include the following:
- Assessment and validation of accuracy in AI-driven methods for forest biodiversity monitoring.
- Advanced methodologies for plant inventory and monitoring in biodiversity hotspots.
- Phylogenetic and genomic approaches to understanding evolutionary responses to disturbance.
- AI-assisted classification and predictive modeling for forest biodiversity.
- Linking inventory and evolutionary research to conservation planning and SDG indicators.
Through this focused theme, we aim to foster interdisciplinary research that bridges technology, ecology, and policy, ultimately contributing to the resilience and sustainability of forest ecosystems worldwide.
Dr. Heba Bedair
Dr. Youssef Youssef
Dr. Tawanda W. Gara
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. 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.
Keywords
- forest biodiversity
- plant inventory
- molecular taxonomy
- remote sensing
- artificial intelligence accuracy assessment
- disturbance dynamics
- phylogenetics
- habitat fragmentation
- climate adaptation
- sustainable development goals
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
