Innovative Forest Management for Climate Change Mitigation and Biodiversity Conservation

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2025) | Viewed by 613

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development, 212 Living Learning Center, Appalachian State University, 305 Bodenheimer Drive, Boone, NC 28608, USA
Interests: forest biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; sustainable development forest/natural resources; soil science; microbial and geographical ecology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, "Innovative Forest Management for Climate Change Mitigation and Biodiversity Conservation", focuses on advancing strategies to address two critical global challenges: mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity. It explores innovative approaches to enhance forests' role as carbon sinks, emphasizing practices such as afforestation, reforestation, and improved forest health management to sequester atmospheric carbon. Additionally, this Special Issue addresses the resilience of forest ecosystems to climate-related stressors like extreme weather while promoting sustainable forest utilization to balance economic benefits with environmental preservation. Biodiversity conservation is a core theme, with an emphasis on protecting habitats, preserving endangered species, and maintaining ecological services, such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Forest landscape restoration and tackling issues such as invasive species and habitat degradation are also prioritized. Cutting-edge technologies, such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GISs), and artificial intelligence (AI), are highlighted for their potential to improve forest monitoring and predictive modeling. This Special Issue also recognizes the value of traditional knowledge and participatory approaches from indigenous and local communities in forest governance. By integrating interdisciplinary perspectives and fostering cross-sector collaborations, this research aims to develop actionable solutions for sustainable forest management, ensuring forests continue to mitigate climate change and support biodiversity globally.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Role of afforestation and reforestation in carbon sequestration;
  • Strategies to improve forest resilience against climate-related stressors;
  • Protecting habitats for endangered species in forest ecosystems;
  • Applications of remote sensing, GIS, and AI in forest management;
  • Community-led forest conservation programs;
  • Techniques for restoring degraded forest lands;
  • Leveraging indigenous knowledge for sustainable forest management.

Dr. Matthew Ogwu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • afforestation
  • reforestation
  • carbon sequestration
  • climate resilience
  • endangered species
  • forest ecosystems
  • remote sensing
  • GIS
  • artificial intelligence
  • forest conservation
  • community engagement
  • indigenous knowledge
  • sustainable management
  • forest restoration
  • biodiversity
  • degraded lands
  • climate change mitigation
  • ecosystem services
  • conservation policies
  • adaptive management

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 1520 KB  
Article
Outcomes of Community-Based Forest Management for Biodiversity Conservation in Northwest Ethiopia
by Tesfaye Mengie and László Szemethy
Forests 2025, 16(9), 1488; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16091488 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 192
Abstract
Community-based Forest management (CBFM) has emerged as a promising approach for reconciling biodiversity conservation with rural livelihoods. However, despite its growing implementation in Ethiopia, limited empirical evidence exists on how CBFM influences biodiversity outcomes and socioeconomic conditions across different local contexts. This study [...] Read more.
Community-based Forest management (CBFM) has emerged as a promising approach for reconciling biodiversity conservation with rural livelihoods. However, despite its growing implementation in Ethiopia, limited empirical evidence exists on how CBFM influences biodiversity outcomes and socioeconomic conditions across different local contexts. This study addressed this gap by examining the biodiversity outcomes and socioeconomic implications of CBFM across three districts in Northwest Ethiopia—Dangila, Fagita–Lokoma, and Banja—where forests are communally managed. A structured questionnaire was administered to 412 randomly selected farmers, and responses were analyzed quantitatively using Likert scale ratings, descriptive statistics, and chi-square tests in SPSS Version 23. The findings revealed statistically significant variations among districts in terms of community engagement in conservation, awareness of environmental policies, and involvement in habitat restoration efforts. Fagita–Lokoma showed the highest levels of participation and knowledge regarding conservation laws (χ2 = 11.81, p < 0.019; χ2 = 13.3, p = 0.01) as well as active involvement in habitat restoration (χ2 = 301, p = 0.000). These differences appear to be associated with stronger local governance structures and greater livelihood dependence on forest resources in Fagita–Lokoma than in the other districts. It consistently demonstrated the highest levels of participation and knowledge, whereas Banja had the lowest levels. Most respondents (76.7%) indicated that socioeconomic interests, particularly related to timber, wildlife, and tourism, were key drivers of their conservation activities. While the economic benefits of biodiversity were generally perceived as moderate, the cost of conservation was seen as low to medium by 65% of participants. These results highlight the critical role of community participation and local awareness in shaping the outcomes of biodiversity conservation. This study concluded that CBFM can achieve positive biodiversity results when local livelihood interests are effectively aligned with ecological goals through inclusive and well-supported governance frameworks. Full article
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