Announcements

Researchers from Stanford University have recently published an update of the list of the top 2% most widely cited scientists—the World’s Top 2% Scientists.

The statistical data informing these rankings cover the period from 1960 to 2024, and the data is divided into two lists: “Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking” and “2024 Annual Scientific Influence Ranking”. The “Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking” calculates the comprehensive influence of scientists during their careers, and the “2024 Annual Influence Ranking” highlights the academic influence of scientists in the previous year. The World's Top 2% Scientists rankings, considered the most prestigious worldwide, is based on bibliometric information contained in the Scopus database and includes more than 200,000 researchers out of more than 10 million scientists considered active worldwide, with 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields taken into account.

We are pleased to share that 13 Editorial Board Members from Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) were featured as the World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2024.

The latest rankings reflect the significant influence and research excellence of scientists who are committed to furthering their knowledge for the benefit of the world.

As all of the articles published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) are presented in an open access format, everyone has free and unlimited access to the full texts. We welcome you to read our annual recommended articles included in the issues released in 2024, listed below:

1. “Toward Evidence-Based Local Food Policy: An Agroecological Assessment of Urban Agriculture in Rome”
by Davide Marino, Francesca Curcio, Francesca Benedetta Felici and Giampiero Mazzocchi
Land 2024, 13(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010030
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/1/30

Highlights:

• Research objective: The aim of this research is to explore potential relationships between local food policies and agroecology by applying an agroecological assessment methodology to a city region context;
• Policy recommendations: This study recommends enhancing support for agroecology in urban agriculture through targeted local food policies, promoting both social and economic drivers of sustainability;
• Future implications: The results highlight the potential of agroecological practices and their integration into urban planning and policy frameworks.

Highlights:

• Spatial model assessment with a participatory process were combined in one approach;
• Both ecosystem services and disservices for human health were considered;
• Participant-generated green space designs result in a considerable self-assessed increase in use;
• Model-assessed positive and negative health effects of green space designs are limited;
• The combined approach produces clear outcomes regarding health benefits and use of designs.

3. “Soil Loss Estimation by Water Erosion in Agricultural Areas Introducing Artificial Intelligence Geospatial Layers into the RUSLE Model”
by Nikiforos Samarinas, Nikolaos L. Tsakiridis, Eleni Kalopesa and George C. Zalidis
Land 2024, 13(2), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020174
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/174

Highlights:

• The implementation of a Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) approach for the prediction of topsoil SOC and soil texture via Sentinel-2 satellite imagery data and AI architectures;
• Innovative integration of Artificial Intelligence into the RUSLE model for the generation of finer spatial resolution maps;
• Utilization of the Soil Data Cube self-hosted custom tool to process and handle a large volume of EO data.

4. “Potential Interactions between Climate Change and Land Use for Forest Issues in the Eastern United States”
by Brice B. Hanberry, Marc D. Abrams and Gregory J. Nowacki
Land 2024, 13(3), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030398
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/398

Highlights:

• We examined climate change and land use and disturbance changes in the eastern U.S.;
• Climate has not warmed but precipitation has increased;
• Climate and land use have interacted to reduce wildfire frequency and increase tree growth;
• Human activities facilitated the expansion of native tree species distribution, non-native species invasion, and damaging native species outbreaks;
• Recent climate change and land use have not influenced deer herbivory levels;
• A warmer and drier climate may reverse interactions with land use, varying by species;
• Management can correct non-climate stressors and support ecosystems against climate change.

5. “Structure and Carbon Capture of a Temperate Mixed Forest across Altitudinal Gradients in Northern Mexico”
by Luis U. Castruita-Esparza, Raúl Narváez-Flores, Mélida Gutiérrez, Aldo S. Mojica-Guerrero, Gerónimo Quiñones-Barraza and Javier Hernández-Salas
Land 2024, 13(4), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040461
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/461

Highlights:

• This research examined floristic diversity and biomass in a vast mixed pine-oak forest in Chihuahua, Mexico, at various altitudes;
• In a mixed pine-oak forest in Chihuahua, Mexico, species richness and diversity were greatest at lower altitudes, and lower at higher altitudes;
• At 2601-2850 m, forest carbon storage peaked. Pine trees held more carbon generally, yet at higher altitudes;
• Social protections and carbon credit sales aid carbon storage in shifting climates. Reforestation, genetic enhancements, and mixed stands may boost carbon storage.

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) is an international and cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on land system science, landscape, soil and water, urban study, land–climate interactions, water–energy–land–food (WELF) nexus, biodiversity research and health nexus, land modelling and data processing, ecosystem services, and multifunctionality and sustainability etc., published monthly online by MDPI. The International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE), European Land-use Institute (ELI), Landscape Institute (LI) and Urban Land Institute (ULI) are affiliated with Land, and their members receive discounts on the article processing charges.

More information about the journal is available through the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

We are currently recruiting Guest Editors for this journal and have put out an open call for Special Issue proposals. Special Issues present an opportunity for a group of authors to work on an interconnected set of papers on an innovative topic. We aim to solicit high-quality proposals that will be evaluated with a competitive procedure on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Proposed Special Issues should have a well-articulated unifying topic and reflect, at an international level, the best work in a particular research area—either a well-established area or an important emerging area—in which future investigations may be boosted by the publication of a set of high-quality papers. Hence, an international group of Guest Editors and a few high-quality planned papers are encouraged.

As a Guest Editor, you would be responsible for the following:

• Defining the aims and scopes of Special Issues;
• Providing potential author lists and inviting high-quality contributions;
• Pre-screening, supervising the whole peer-review process, and making decisions on new submissions to the Special Issue (according to the review reports);
• Promoting the Special Issue at conferences, on social media and on other relevant platforms.

The Editorial Office will set up the Special Issue website, arrange promotional materials, assist with invitations to contribute papers, and take care of administrative tasks associated with the peer review process, including inviting reviewers, collating reports, and contacting authors, and professional production before publication.

As a Guest Editor, you would have the following privileges:

• A certificate of recognition as a Guest Editor of Land;
• The ability to publish one feature paper in your Special Issue;
• The ability to provide invited authors with discounts when they submit high-quality papers to be published in your Special Issue;
• Travel grant opportunities to attend featured conferences;
• Special Issue Reprints: If a Special Issue publishes more than 10 papers after a full peer review, it may be published as a reprinted Special Issue book with an ISBN, and each Guest Editor will receive a hard copy free of charge. Reprints will be brought to the conference booth for display as representatives of successful Special Issues;
• Promotion of the Special Issue and published papers on the journal's official social media account;
• Consideration as a Land Editorial Board Member candidate if a Special Issue is successful;
• The opportunity to participate in or host academic meetings or online seminars related to the Guest Editors' research focus;
• Further opportunities to apply for journal awards of Land;
• An ideal avenue for networking and communicating with scholars in the research community, as well as a chance to be an influential person within your discipline. The relationships you develop will last beyond the publication of your Special Issue, establishing a network for future collaboration.

Information to be provided in your proposal:

• A 300–500-word summary explaining the proposed topic’s significance, novelty, technical advancement, and adherence to the scope of the journal;
• A few keywords on the topic;
• A plan for obtaining high-quality papers or a list of at least three planned papers;
• A brief resume of the proposed Guest Editors together with their information (title, name, email, affiliation, personal website, keywords of interests);
• A proposed submission deadline (Special Issues normally run for 6–8 months).

You can submit your application directly via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Land Editorial Office if you are interested and would like further details or clarification.

We look forward to receiving your proposals.

Land Editorial Office

As all of the articles published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) are presented in an open access format, everyone has free and unlimited access to the full texts. We welcome you to read our annual recommended articles published in 2024, listed below:

1. “Spatiotemporal Analysis of Soil Quality Degradation and Emissions in the State of Iowa (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman and Gregory C. Post
Land 2024, 13(4), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040547
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/547

Highlights:

• The concept of soil quality (SQ) is defined as the soil's capacity to function to support plant and animal life, maintain water and air quality, and support human health, and is often applied at the field scale;
• Soil quality (SQ) is composed of inherent (soil suitability) and dynamic (soil health, SH) components that form a landscape-level SQ continuum (SQC);
• This study analyzed SQ degradation and emissions from land developments for the state of Iowa (IA) in the United States of America (USA);
• The results support pending soil health-related legislation in IA that works towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations (UN).

2. “Resilience of Terraced Landscapes to Human and Natural Impacts: A GIS-Based Reconstruction of Land Use Evolution in a Mediterranean Mountain Valley”
by Titouan Le Vot, Marianne Cohen, Maciej Nowak, Paul Passy and Franck Sumera
Land 2024, 13(5), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050592
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/592

Highlights:

• Terraced lands are a historical landscape under risk in Mediterranean mountains;
• Their surface and land-use trajectories are analyzed across five centuries in a GIS;
• Although mostly abandoned, they persist in the ground landscape;
• Their environmental and productive functions are part of their future resilience.

3. “Exploring Urban Service Location Suitability: Mapping Social Behavior Dynamics with Space Syntax Theory”
by Saleh Qanazi, Ihab H. Hijazi, Isam Shahrour and Rani El Meouche
Land 2024, 13(5), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050609
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/609

Highlights:

• Research objective: This paper investigates urban service suitability by integrating social factors with spatial analysis at the community level using space syntax theory;
• Main findings:

• This study identifies the optimal locations for essential governmental facilities, such as health clinics and fire stations, and suggests reallocation for some schools;
• It demonstrates ways to improve the placement of community amenities, finding ideal locations for parks but noting suboptimal placements for mosques;
• The study highlights areas for enhancement in commercial services, including gas stations and shops.

• Future implications: The insights from this research can guide policymakers and planners in creating more efficient, equitable, and accessible cities.

4. “Modeling Irrigation of Tomatoes with Saline Water in Semi-Arid Conditions Using Hydrus-1D”
by Sabri Kanzari, Jiří Šimůnek, Issam Daghari, Anis Younes, Khouloud Ben Ali, Sana Ben Mariem and Samir Ghannem
Land 2024, 13(6), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060739
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/739

Highlights:

• Hydrus-1D successfully simulated soil water and salt dynamics in a soil profile, with tomatoes irrigated with saline water;
• The multiplicative S-model was the best model for reproducing a decrease in tomato relative yield due to irrigation water salinity;
• An increase in seasonal temperature of 2°C had no significant effect on tomato yield.

5. “Facilitated Forest Restoration Using Pioneer Seed Dispersers in Madagascar: The Example of Microcebus spp.”
by Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Jean-Basile Andriambeloson, Sylvia Atsalis, Lis M. Behrendt, Marina B. Blanco, An Bollen, Stéphanie M. Carrière, Lounès Chikhi, Melanie Dammhahn, Giuseppe Donati et al.
Land 2024, 13(12), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13121971
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/12/1971

Highlights:

• The aim of this research is to explore the potential contributions of a small primate seed disperser (genus Microcebus) to forest restoration projects at early stages when the restored vegetation cannot yet attract large seed dispersers, which are often targeted by the concept of “facilitated restoration”;
• Microcebus disperses the seeds of small-seeded plants such as pioneer herbs and shrubs, but also the seeds of some large trees;
• In reforestation plots bordering natural forest, these small animals could be lured into the restoration plots by planting fast-fruiting shrubs and herbs that set fruit within one to two years;
• Considering the potential roles of these small seed dispersers in restoration planting could accelerate the trajectory of a reforested area that might otherwise might remain species-poor for a long period of time towards a species-rich plant community.

The articles below have been selected as 2024 Issue Cover Articles by the Editorial Office of Land (ISSN: 2073-445X). These articles came from multiple fields within the scope of Land, and we hope they can provide insights and references for scholars in related fields.

	“How Can Drones Uncover Land Degradation Hotspots and Restoration Hopespots? An Integrated Approach in the Mount Elgon Region with Community Perceptions” by Hosea Opedes, Shafiq Nedala, Caspar A. Mücher, Jantiene E. M. Baartman and Frank Mugagga Land 2024, 13(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010001 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/1/1
	“Enhancing Sustainability and Yield in Maritime Pine Forests: Evaluating Silvicultural Models for Natural Regeneration” by André Sandim, Maria Emília Silva, Paulo Fernandes and Teresa Fonseca Land 2024, 13(2), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020170 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/170
	“Your Favourite Park Is Not My Favourite Park: A Participatory Geographic Information System Approach to Improving Urban Green and Blue Spaces—A Case Study in Edinburgh, Scotland” by Charlotte Wendelboe-Nelson, Yiyun Wang, Simon Bell, Craig W. McDougall and Catharine Ward Thompson Land 2024, 13(3), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030395 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/395
	“A Land Administration Data Exchange and Interoperability Framework for Kenya and Its Significance to the Sustainable Development Goals” by Clifford Okembo, Javier Morales, Christiaan Lemmen, Jaap Zevenbergen and David Kuria Land 2024, 13(4), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040435 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/435
	“Landscape Analysis and Coastal Planning: Ría de Arosa (Pontevedra, Spain)” by Carlos E. Nieto, Antonio Miguel Martínez-Graña and Leticia Merchán Land 2024, 13(5), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050645 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/645
	“Evaluating Urban Green Space Inequity to Promote Distributional Justice in Portland, Oregon” by Evan Elderbrock, Kory Russel, Yekang Ko, Elizabeth Budd, Lilah Gonen and Chris Enright Land 2024, 13(6), 720; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060720 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/720
	“Using Radiometric and Categorical Change to Create High-Accuracy Maps of Historical Land Cover Change in Watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin” by Andrew F. Poley, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Jeremy A. Graha, Dorthea J. L. Vander Bilt, Dana Redhuis, Michael J. Battaglia, Robert E. Kennedy and Nancy H. F. French Land 2024, 13(7), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070920 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/7/920
	“Form-Based Code Revisited: Leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Optimization to Chart Commuting Efficiency Landscapes under Alternative City Planning Frameworks” by Reza Mortaheb, Piotr Jankowski, Alan Murray and Marcos Bastian Land 2024, 13(8), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081190 Available online: https://mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/8/1190
	“Twenty Years of Land Accounts in Europe” by Eva Ivits, Erika Orlitova, Roger Milego, Gergely Maucha, Barbara Kosztra, Emanuele Mancosu, Jaume Fons, Mirko Gregor, Manuel Löhnertz and Gerard Hazeu Land 2024, 13(9), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091350 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/9/1350
	“Agroecology for the City—Spatialising ES-Based Design in Peri-Urban Contexts” by Richard Morris, Shannon Davis, Gwen-Aëlle Grelet and Pablo Gregorini Land 2024, 13(10), 1589; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101589 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/10/1589
	“Identifying Potential Urban Greenways by Considering Green Space Exposure Levels and Maximizing Recreational Flows: A Case Study in Beijing’s Built-Up Areas” by Tao Liu, Le Yu, Xin Chen, Yunmiao Chen, Xiaomeng Li, Xinyi Liu, Yue Cao, Fan Zhang, Chenggang Zhang and Peng Gong Land 2024, 13(11), 1793; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111793 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1793
	“Integrating Local Food Policies and Spatial Planning to Enhance Food Systems and Rural–Urban Links: A Living Lab Experiment” by Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Giovanni Belletti, Andrea Marescotti, Michele Moretti and Massimo Rovai Land 2024, 13(12), 2014; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122014 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/12/2014

MDPI will be attending the General Assembly 2025 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), which will be held in Vienna, Austria, and online, from 27 April to 2 May 2025 at booth #02 in the Entrance Hall. The EGU General Assembly 2025 brings together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting, covering all disciplines of Earth, planetary, and space science. The EGU aims to provide a forum where scientists, especially early career researchers, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Remote Sensing;
• Water;
• Geosciences;
• Hydrology;
• Aerobiology;
• Applied Sciences;
• Atmosphere;
• Climate;
• Coasts;
• Earth;
• Energies;
• Environments;
• Fire;
• Forests;
• Gases;
• GeoHazards;
• Geomatics;
• Geotechnics;
• Glacies;
• ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (IJGI);
• Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JMSE);
• Land;
• Limnological Review;
• Meteorology;
• Minerals;
• Nitrogen;
• Quaternary;
• Resources;
• Soil Systems;
• Sustainability.

If you are attending the conference, please visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.egu25.eu/.

More than 100 German universities and research institutions have entered into a national agreement with MDPI. The publication agreement negotiated by ZB MED comes into effect on 1 January 2025 and is valid until the end of 2026. Joining the consortium is still possible until the beginning of 2025. We are delighted by the high level of interest this agreement has already garnered, reflecting the strong demand for accessible and cost-effective open access publishing solutions among German research institutions.

This new cooperation aims to make scientific gold open access publishing more affordable and less administratively burdensome for researchers in Germany. The agreement includes substantial discounts on article processing charges (APCs) for corresponding authors from participating institutions. It offers flexible payment options, including centralized invoicing or individual payment of fees by researchers or their institutions. Additionally, the agreement features a flat-fee model that enables institutions to precisely plan expenses and optimize their library budgets.

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Petra Labriga, Head of Strategic License Management at ZB MED, highlighted the agreement's significance: "As one of the world's leading Gold OA publishers, MDPI plays a central role in the German publishing landscape. We are particularly pleased that we were able to achieve considerable potential cost savings for scientific institutions and their authors at a national level through our negotiations."

The partnership reflects a common goal of advancing the idea of open access and supporting researchers in making their scientific excellence internationally visible.

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Franziska Fischer (right), Commercial Director at ZB MED, an Peter Roth (left), Head of Publishing at MDPI, celebrate the signing of the new national open access agreement between MDPI and the ZB MED Consortium.

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We are pleased to announce a series of updates to our template, aimed at improving the readability and overall aesthetics of our publications. These changes have been meticulously designed to enhance the user experience and ensure consistency across all our publications. The updated template will be available for download from the Instructions for Authors page.

The following updates will be applied to articles published in the 2025 volumes, starting on 24 December 2024:

• Main text: The line spacing has been increased to improve the readability of publications;
• Header and footer: The link to the journal website will be removed, as a hyperlink has been integrated into the journal logo. Additionally, the DOI link will be moved from the left-hand side to the right-hand side, and both the header and footer will be slightly raised to achieve a better balance;
• Left information bar: The information provided here has been rearranged for better organization; the CC-BY logo will be removed;
• Font size: The font size used for the abstract, keywords, and first-level headings will be increased.

Furthermore, MDPI journals will continue to use article numbers. This approach enables us to maintain a rapid and efficient production process by being able to define pagination as soon as a paper is accepted.

We hope that the new version of the template will provide users with a better experience and make the process more convenient.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions.

The Land Editorial Office would like to warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Nick B. Comerford as the newly appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Land, Soil and Water” Section of Land (ISSN: 2073-445X).

Prof. Dr. Nick B. Comerford shared his academic research background, as well as his vision for the “Land, Soil and Water” Section, in the video interview below:

We believe that, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Nick B. Comerford, the “Land, Soil and Water” Section can collate more of the latest research outputs in the field of soil and land research and provide a wide-ranging academic exchange and publishing platform for researchers.

We wish Prof. Dr. Nick B. Comerford every success in his position as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.