Announcements

We are pleased to announce that the 2024 Tu Youyou Award has been conferred upon Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller, in recognition of their significant contributions to natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Richard DiMarchi Indiana University, USA	Prof. Richard DiMarchi is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University, USA. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. DiMarchi is a former Group Vice President at Eli Lilly and later at Novo Nordisk. He is recognized for his contributions to the discovery and development of rDNA-derived Humulin®, Humalog®, rGlucagon®, and Forteo®. His academic research has broadened the understanding of glucagon and incretin physiology and pioneered the discovery of single-molecule multi-mechanism agonists for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The central element to success has been the chemical vision and technology to install within single molecules simultaneous agonism at related G-protein coupled receptors, coupled to the counter-intuitive discovery that glucagon and GIP agonism could synergize the therapeutic efficacy of GLP-1. These peptides and their conceptual approach have transformed the management of excessive body weight to a condition comparable to how hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, and excess cholesterol are medicinally managed.
“Professor DiMarchi was recognized by the 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee members as being an exceptional leader in the medicinal chemistry of peptides and proteins of natural origin, and as a pioneer in the field of chemical biotechnology. His very important discoveries have led to breakthroughs in new drugs related to the therapy of diabetes and obesity. He has been named as an inventor on a very large number of patents, and he has had initially a highly successful scientific and administrative career in industry, which was followed by over two decades in academia as a distinguished professor.” —Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Chair of the Award Committee
Rolf Müller Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Infections Research (HZI), Germany; Saarland University, Germany	Prof. Rolf Müller is the Founding and Managing Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and Professor of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Saarland University, Germany. Having received his training from the University of Bonn, he held research positions at the University of Washington, USA, and Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany, prior to his appointment as professor to Saarland University. His laboratory has dedicated itself to the exploration of bacterial natural-product biosynthetic pathways for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in working with myxobacteria and other microbial producer strains. Starting from the isolation and characterization of new microorganisms, the scope of work includes microbiology-, biotechnology-, bioinformatics-, and chemistry-based approaches to exploit these isolates as sources of new drugs with a special focus on novel anti-infectives. Müller and his team apply a variety of state-of-the-art analytical methods and biological assays to perform biological and chemical characterizations of the identified compounds. Prof. Müller has received several awards, including the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the PHOENIX Pharmacy Research Award, the DECHEMA Prize, and the Inhoffen Medal, as well as being an elected member of acatech, Leopoldina, and the German Academy of Sciences and Literature.
“The 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee members were highly impressed by the truly outstanding past and ongoing contributions of Professor Müller in both microbial natural products isolation chemistry and in biosynthesis, as well as in the development of lead compounds for their potential in treating human diseases, through his global connections with various major funding agencies. He is also a dedicated teacher who has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and he has lectured on his research in countries all over the world.” —Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Chair of the Award Committee

The achievements of Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller highlight the transformative impact of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry. We congratulate them and invite the global academic community and public to join us in celebrating their significant contributions.

2024 Award Committee
Committee Chair:

• Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Ohio State University, USA.
  

Committee Members (listed in alphabetical order):

• Prof. Angelo Fontana, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy;
• Prof. Binghe Wang, Georgia State University, USA;
• Dr. Diana Pinto, University of Aveiro, Portugal;
• Prof. Hideaki Kakeya, Kyoto University, Japan;
• Dr. RuAngelie Edrada-Ebel, University of Strathclyde, UK;
• Prof. Thomas Prisinzano, University of Kentucky, USA
• Prof. Wei Li, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA.

About the Tu Youyou Award:
The 2024 Tu Youyou Award includes a total monetary prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs and a medal for each recipient. Established in 2016 to honor the pioneering spirit of Nobel laureate Tu Youyou, the Tu Youyou Award is an international award honoring exceptional scholars dedicated to the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

For further information about the award and the winners, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website.

We are delighted to share some papers on soil management research that were published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2023. In addition, some Special Issues related to this topic are currently open for submission.

The following is a list of articles and Special Issues that we believe will interest you.

1. “Modelling the Whole Profile Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics Considering Soil Redistribution under Future Climate Change and Landscape Projections over the Lower Hunter Valley, Australia”
by Yuxin Ma, Budiman Minasny, Valérie Viaud, Christian Walter, Brendan Malone and Alex McBratney
Land 2023, 12(1), 255; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010255
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/255

2. “Determining the Extent of Soil Degradation Processes Using Trend Analyses at a Regional Multispectral Scale”
by Mohamed A. E. AbdelRahman, Mohamed R. Metwalli, Maofang Gao, Francesco Toscano, Costanza Fiorentino, Antonio Scopa and Paola D’Antonio
Land 2023, 12(4), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040855
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/855

3. “Engagement with Urban Soils Part II: Starting Points for Sustainable Urban Planning Guidelines Derived from Maya Soil Connectivity”
by Benjamin N. Vis, Daniel L. Evans and Elizabeth Graham
Land 2023, 12(4), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040891
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/891

4. “Engagement with Urban Soils Part I: Applying Maya Soil Connectivity Practices to Intergenerational Planning for Urban Sustainability”
by Benjamin N. Vis, Daniel L. Evans and Elizabeth Graham
Land 2023, 12(4), 892; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040892
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/892

5. “Nitrogenous and Phosphorus Soil Contents in Tierra del Fuego Forests: Relationships with Soil Organic Carbon, Climate, Vegetation and Landscape Metrics”
by Guillermo Martínez Pastur, Marie-Claire Aravena Acuña, Jimena E. Chaves, Juan M. Cellini, Eduarda M. O. Silveira, Julián Rodriguez-Souilla, Axel von Müller, Ludmila La Manna, María V. Lencinas and Pablo L. Peri
Land 2023, 12(5), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050983
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/983

6. “Mapping Soil Organic Carbon in Floodplain Farmland: Implications of Effective Range of Environmental Variables”
by Zihao Wu, Yiyun Chen, Yuanli Zhu, Xiangyang Feng, Jianxiong Ou, Guie Li, Zhaomin Tong and Qingwu Yan
Land 2023, 12(6), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061198
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1198

7. “Comparison of Soil Taxonomy (2022) and WRB (2022) Systems for Classifying Paddy Soils with Different Drainage Grades in South Korea”
by Dan-Bi Lee, Young-Nam Kim, Yeon-Kyu Sonn and Kye-Hoon Kim
Land 2023, 12(6), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061204
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1204

8. “Hyperspectral Bare Soil Index (HBSI): Mapping Soil Using an Ensemble of Spectral Indices in Machine Learning Environment”
by Eric Ariel L. Salas and Sakthi Subburayalu Kumaran
Land 2023, 12(7), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071375
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1375

9. “Quantifying Damages to Soil Health and Emissions from Land Development in the State of Illinois (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman, Gregory C. Post, George B. Shepherd and Renee M. Dixon
Land 2023, 12(8), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081567
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1567

10. “Biochar as Soil Amendment: The Effect of Biochar on Soil Properties Using VIS-NIR Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, Biochar Aging and Soil Microbiology—A Review”
by Vasileios Tsolis and Pantelis Barouchas
Land 2023, 12(8), 1580; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081580
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1580

11. “Carbon Storage in Cropland Soils: Insights from Iowa, United States”
by Jim Jordahl, Marshall McDaniel, Bradley A. Miller, Michael Thompson, Sebastian Villarino and Lisa A. Schulte
Land 2023, 12(8), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081630
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1630

12. “Opportunities for Monitoring Soil and Land Development to Support United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Case Study of the United States of America (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman and George B. Shepherd
Land 2023, 12(10), 1853; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101853
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1853

13. “Assessment and Mapping of Soil Salinity Using the EM38 and EM38MK2 Sensors: A Focus on the Modeling Approaches”
by Panagiota Antonia Petsetidi and George Kargas
Land 2023, 12(10), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101932
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1932

14. “Modeling Soil Health Indicators to Assess the Effectiveness of Sustainable Soil Management on Mediterranean Arable Land”
by Chiara Piccini, Roberta Farina, Claudia Di Bene, Silvia Vanino and Rosario Napoli
Land 2023, 12(11), 2001; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112001
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2001

15. “How Can Plants Help Restore Degraded Tropical Soils?”
by Renaud Massoukou Pamba, Vincent Poirier, Pamphile Nguema Ndoutoumou and Terence Epule Epule
Land 2023, 12(12), 2147; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12122147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/12/2147

Special Issues:

• “New Advance in Intensive Agriculture and Soil Quality”
  Guest Editors: Dioselina Álvarez Bernal and Eloy Conde
  Submission Deadline: 31 Jul 2025

• “Digital Soil Mapping for Soil Health Monitoring in Agricultural Lands”
  Guest Editors: João Augusto Coblinski, Sylwia Pindral and Gabriele Buttafuoco
  Submission Deadline: 31 Jul 2025

• “Celebrating World Soil Day”
  Guest Editor: Gabriele Broll and Arwyn Jones
  Submission Deadline: 31 Dec 2025

We are delighted to share some papers on carbon neutrality research that were published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2023 and 2024. In addition, some Special Issues related to this topic are currently open for submission.

The following is a list of articles and Special Issues that we believe will interest you:

1. “Durum Wheat–Potato Crop Rotation, Soil Tillage, and Fertilization Source Affect Soil CO₂ Emission and C Storage in the Mediterranean Environment”
by Roberto Mancinelli, Sara Marinari, Mariam Atait, Verdiana Petroselli, Gabriele Chilosi, Merima Jasarevic, Alessia Catalani, Zainul Abideen, Morad Mirzaei, Mohamed Allam et al.
Land 2023, 12(2), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020326
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/326

2. “Towards Carbon-Neutral Cities: Urban Classification Based on Physical Environment and Carbon Emission Characteristics”
by Jiah Lee and Seunghyun Jung
Land 2023, 12(5), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050968
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/968

3. “Land Use Structure Optimization and Ecological Benefit Evaluation in Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration Based on Carbon Neutrality”
by Zhi Wang, Fengwan Zhang, Shaoquan Liu and Dingde Xu
Land 2023, 12(5), 1016; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051016
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1016

4. “Territorial and Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Assessments: Implications for Spatial Planning Policies”
by Kimmo Lylykangas, Rebecca Cachia, Damiano Cerrone, Kaie Kriiska, Ulrich Norbisrath, Peter R. Walke, Anssi Joutsiniemi and Jukka Heinonen
Land 2023, 12(6), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061144
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1144

5. “How Can Urban Regeneration Reduce Carbon Emissions? A Bibliometric Review”
by Yan Liu, Meiyue Sang, Xiangrui Xu, Liyin Shen and Haijun Bao
Land 2023, 12(7), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071328
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1328

6. “Temporal Dynamics of CO₂ Fluxes over a Non-Irrigated Vineyard”
by Aysan Badraghi, Beáta Novotná, Jan Frouz, Koloman Krištof, Martin Trakovický, Martin Juriga, Branislav Chvila and Leonardo Montagnani
Land 2023, 12(10), 1925; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101925
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1925

7. “Enhancing Agricultural Ecological Efficiency in China: An Evolution and Pathways under the Carbon Neutrality Vision”
by Xiaochen Wang and Yaqun Liu
Land 2024, 13(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020187
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/187

8. “Land Use Carbon Emissions or Sink: Research Characteristics, Hotspots and Future Perspectives”
by Lina Liu, Jiansheng Qu, Feng Gao, Tek Narayan Maraseni, Shaojian Wang, Suman Aryal, Zhenhua Zhang and Rong Wu
Land 2024, 13(3), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030279
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/279

9. “Correction Factor for Mitigating the ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Phenomenon in Assessing Low-Carbon City Performance”
by Shiju Liao, Liyin Shen, Xi Chen, Xiangrui Xu, Qingqing Wang, Ziwei Chen and Haijun Bao
Land 2024, 13(4), 433; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040433
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/433

10. “A Coupled InVEST-PLUS Model for the Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Multi-Scenario Prediction Analysis”
by Yan Zhang, Xiaoyong Liao and Dongqi Sun
Land 2024, 13(4), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040509
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/4/509

11. “The Impact of High-Standard Farmland Construction Policies on the Carbon Emissions from Agricultural Land Use (CEALU)”
by Fangsheng Liu and Jian Lin
Land 2024, 13(5), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050672
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/672

12. “Assessing the Impact of Land Conversion on Carbon Stocks and GHG Emissions”
by Ima Ituen and Baoxin Hu
Land 2024, 13(8), 1291; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081291
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/8/1291

13. “Land-Based Carbon Effects and Human Well-Being Nexus”
by Kexin Wang, Keren He, Xue-Chao Wang, Linglin Xie, Xiaobin Dong, Fan Lei, Changshuo Gong and Mengxue Liu
Land 2024, 13(9), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091419
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/9/1419

14. “A Comprehensive Accounting of Carbon Emissions and Carbon Sinks of China’s Agricultural Sector”
by Yufei Wang, Shuang Liang, Yuxin Liang and Xiaoxue Liu
Land 2024, 13(9), 1452; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091452
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/9/1452

15. “Lessons from the Pilot Project of Korean ETS on the Local Landscape of Economy”
by Yongrok Choi, Ziqian Tang and Yunning Ma
Land 2024, 13(10), 1603; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101603
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/10/1603

Special Issues:

• “Land-Based Greenhouse Gas Mitigation for Carbon Neutrality (2nd Edition)”

Guest Editors: Li’na Liu, Zhenhua Zhang, Rong Wu and Suman Aryal
Submission Deadline: 26 August 2025

• “Land Use Effects on Carbon Storage and Greenhouse Gas Emissions”

Guest Editors: Cole D. Gross, Zhengfeng An and Scott X. Chang
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025

• “Net Zero Target and Land Use in Agriculture and Forestry: Carbon Auditing, Offsetting and Trading”

Guest Editor: Naser Khan
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025

We are pleased to announce the 1st International Online Conference on Urban Sciences (IOCUS 2026). This conference is organized by the open access MDPI journal Urban Science (ISSN: 2413-8851; IF: 2.1) and will take place online from 20 to 22 May 2026. Participation in this conference is free of charge.

Conference Chairs:

• Prof. Dr. Luis Hernández-Callejo, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain;
• Prof. Dr. Peter Newman, Curtin University, Perth, Australia;
• Prof. Dr. Francesco Aletta, University College London, London, UK;
• Prof. Dr. Jianming Cai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;
• Dr. Jieling Xiao, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.

IOCUS 2026 offers a platform for scholars, researchers, and experts in the field of urban science to come together, exchange ideas, and showcase cutting-edge research. The conference will cover a wide range of topics in urban science, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Urban planning and design;
• Urban environments and sustainability;
• Urban economies and resource management;
• Urban mobility and transportation;
• Urban resilience and adaptation;
• Urbanization and social development.

Important dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 15 February 2026;
Abstract acceptance notification: 15 March 2026;
Registration deadline: 18 May 2026.

Guide for authors:
To submit your abstract, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1369.
To register for the event, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/IOCUS2026?subscribe&section=#registration.

Note: Only abstracts can be accepted for this conference. To publish a conference proceedings paper free of charge or submit a full manuscript to Urban Science (ISSN: 2413-8851; IF: 2.1), please refer to the “Publication Opportunities” section of the journal’s website.

Best Oral Presentation Award and Best Poster Award
Number of Awards Available: 4.

The winners of the above awards will each receive a certificate and CHF 200. In addition, they will also be granted the opportunity to publish one research article or review free of charge in Urban Science.

For any enquiries regarding the event, please contact iocus2026@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 1st International Online Conference on Urban Sciences.

The Third National Conference on Coastal Zones will be held from 28 to 30 July 2025 in Yantai, Shandong Province, under the theme of “Sustainable Coastal Zones”. The conference focuses on coastal zone resources and environment monitoring, land- and sea-integrated planning, ecological restoration and disaster prevention and control and other cutting-edge issues, aiming to respond to the strategic needs of the national ocean power and ecological civilization construction and to promote scientific and technological innovation in the field of coastal zone and sustainable development. Through keynote reports, invited special reports, a scholars’ forum, poster presentations, journal columns, and other diversified forms, the conference will systematically highlight the latest achievements in coastal zone research driven by new technologies such as air and space information, big data, artificial intelligence, etc., and discuss the scientific path of the integrated management of coastal zones, ecological protection, and synergistic economic and social development. The conference will provide an interdisciplinary exchange platform for domestic and international experts, scholars, industry representatives, and young researchers to help modernize governance systems and promote the high-quality development of China’s coastal zone.

MDPI will be attending the conference as an exhibitor. We welcome researchers from diverse backgrounds to attend and share their latest ideas with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Ecologies;
• Diversity;
• JMSE;
• Land;
• Earth;
• Safety;
• Coasts;
• Conservation;
• Environments;
• Remote Sensing;
• Hydrology.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, we encourage you to visit our booth and speak to our representatives. We are eager to meet you in person and assist you with any queries that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the official website: https://www.science-conference.pro/demo_1023/cn/index.html.

From 27 April to 2 May 2025, MDPI joined the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna, Austria, welcoming over 20,984 attendees from 120+ countries at booth 02 in the Entrance Hall. This landmark event featured 18,934 presentations across 1,102 sessions, with 56% of abstracts contributed by Early Career Scientists (ECSs)—a testament to the vibrant future of geosciences.

Academic Engagement: Dialogue and Collaboration

Meet the Editors-in-Chief
We hosted two insightful sessions with editorial leaders from top journals:

• April 28: Prof. Dr. Stephen Macko (Editor-in-Chief of Nitrogen) and Prof. Dr. Zhong Lu (Editor-in-Chief of GeoHazards);
• April 29: Dr. Tommaso Caloiero (Section Editor-in-Chief of Hydrology) and Prof. Dr. Rui A. P. Perdigão (Section Editor-in-Chief of Climate).

These discussions fostered meaningful connections between attendees and editors, strengthening our commitment to supporting scholarly exchange.

Environmental and Earth Sciences Journals Editorial Board Meeting

Award Ceremonies: Honoring Innovation

Remote Sensing Travel Award
On April 30, Dr. Nicola Nocentini (University of Padua and University of Florence) received the award from Associate Editor Prof. Dr. Fabio Tosti. Following the ceremony, Dr. Nocentini shared insights into an exclusive booth interview.

Geosciences Best Paper Award

Prof. Dr. Olivier Lacombe (Section Editor-in-Chief of Geosciences) presented the award for the paper “Improving the Estimation of the Occurrence Time of an Impending Major Earthquake Using the Entropy Change of Seismicity in Natural Time Analysis”—a groundbreaking study on earthquake prediction.

Interactive Highlights: Fun and Engagement

Raffle Games
Attendees enjoyed lively prize draws, with customized gifts adding a playful touch to scientific networking.

Quick Q&A Sessions
Topic-based quizzes sparked friendly competition, turning academic curiosity into interactive fun—even hesitant scholars joined the excitement!

Looking Ahead: Advancing Open Science

Participating in the EGU General Assembly constituted a profoundly enriching experience. Through this engagement, we engaged in profound dialogues not only with authors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Boards associated with MDPI, but also were afforded the invaluable opportunity to disseminate our institutional mission to emerging scholars.
As an entity steadfastly committed to fostering open scientific exchange across all academic disciplines, MDPI reaffirms its unwavering dedication to advancing global scholarship. We earnestly look forward to prospects of connecting with researchers from around the world, collaborating in unison to expand the frontiers of knowledge and advocate for the practices of open science.

Conference: 60th Croatian and 20th International Symposium on Agriculture
Organization: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, and Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb
Date: 1–6 June 2025
Place: Bol, Croatia

MDPI journals will be present as exhibitors at the 60th Croatian and 20th International Symposium on Agriculture, which will be held at Hotel Bluesun Elaphusa, Bol, Croatia, from 1 to 6 June 2025.

This conference will cover the following topics:

1. Plant and Food Production;
2. Animal Production and Food Quality;
3. Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture;
4. Biodiversity Conservation;
5. Agribusiness and Smart Agriculture;
6. Youth and Education in Life Sciences.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Agriculture;
• Crops;
• AgriEngineering;
• Poultry;
• Sustainability;
• Grasses;
• Horticulturae;
• Land;
• Agronomy.

If you will be attending this conference, please feel free to 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 official website: https://sa.fazos.hr/.

We are thrilled to share the Exceptional Reviewers List 2025. This program was designed to recognize and honor scholars who have delivered consistently exceptional review reports to our journal. Committed to fostering rigorous research and promoting knowledge exchange, Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) recognizes the significant role our reviewers play in maintaining the quality and integrity of the articles we publish.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the reviewers who have generously volunteered their time and expertise to assist in the peer review process for Land. Their dedication and attention to detail in evaluating manuscripts, offering valuable feedback, and contributing to academic rigor are truly commendable.

The Exceptional Reviewers List was introduced in April 2025. Each quarter, we will be selecting a group of outstanding reviewers and will introduce them here.

Q1

We are delighted to present a list of papers published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in the first half of 2024 that have received considerable attention.

1. “Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot”
by Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Maria Tsakiri, Ioannis P. Kokkoris, Panayiotis Trigas, Gregoris Iatrou, Fotini N. Lamari, Dimitris Tzanoudakis, Eleni Koumoutsou, Panayotis Dimopoulos, Arne Strid et al.
Land 2024, 13(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/133

2. “Study of Regional Spatial and Temporal Changes of Net Ecosystem Productivity of Crops from Remotely Sensed Data”
by Peng Wang, Yong Xue, Zhigang Yan, Wenping Yin, Botao He and Pei Li
Land 2024, 13(2), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020155
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/155

3. “Key Drivers of Land Use Changes in the Rural Area of Gargano (South Italy) and Their Implications for the Local Sustainable Development”
by Nazgul Esengulova, Pasquale Balena, Caterina De Lucia, Antonio Lopolito and Pasquale Pazienza
Land 2024, 13(2), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020166
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/166

4. “Integrating Landscape Character Assessment with Community Values in a Scenic Evaluation Methodology for Regional Landscape Planning”
by Ata Tara, Gillian Lawson, Wendy Davies, Alan Chenoweth and Georgina Pratten
Land 2024, 13(2), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020169
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/169

5. “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

6. “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

7. “Scenario Analysis of Green Infrastructure to Adapt Medium-Size Cities to Climate Change: The Case of Zaragoza, Spain”
by Elie Hanna, María R. Felipe-Lucia and Francisco A. Comín
Land 2024, 13(3), 280; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030280
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/280

8. “Sample Size Optimization for Digital Soil Mapping: An Empirical Example”
by Daniel D. Saurette, Richard J. Heck, Adam W. Gillespie, Aaron A. Berg and Asim Biswas
Land 2024, 13(3), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030365
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/365

9. “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

10. “Exploring Sensitivity of Phenology to Seasonal Climate Differences in Temperate Grasslands of China Based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index”
by Xiaoshuai Wei, Mingze Xu, Hongxian Zhao, Xinyue Liu, Zifan Guo, Xinhao Li and Tianshan Zha
Land 2024, 13(3), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030399
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/399

We are delighted to present a list of papers published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in the first half of 2024 that have received considerable attention.

1. “Predicting Land Cover Using a GIS-Based Markov Chain and Sea Level Inundation for a Coastal Area”
by Colleen Healey, Eman Ghoneim, Ai Ning Loh and Yalei You
Land 2024, 13(6), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060775
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/775

2. “Mapping Dryland Ecosystems Using Google Earth Engine and Random Forest: A Case Study of an Ecologically Critical Area in Northern China”
by Shuai Li, Pu Guo, Fei Sun, Jinlei Zhu, Xiaoming Cao, Xue Dong and Qi Lu
Land 2024, 13(6), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060845
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/845

3. “Land Use Policy Frameworks in Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand: Examining the Opportunities and Barriers of Indigenous-Led Conservation and Protected Areas”
by Emalee A. Vandermale, Jordyn Bogetti and Courtney W. Mason
Land 2024, 13(6), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060886
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/886

4. “Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Support the Remediation of Polluted Soils: A Review of Case Studies”
by Floris Abrams, Lucas Hendrickx, Catrinel Turcanu, Lieve Sweeck and Jos Van Orshoven
Land 2024, 13(6), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060887
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/887

5. “Protected Areas in the Brazilian Amazon Threatened by Cycles of Property Registration, Cattle Ranching, and Deforestation”
by Malena Candino, A. Brandão, J. Munger, L. Rausch and H. K. Gibbs
Land 2024, 13(7), 901; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070901
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/7/901

6. “Competition for Land: Equity and Renewable Energy in Farmlands”
by Mary Ann Cunningham and Jeffrey Seidman
Land 2024, 13(7), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070939
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/7/939

7. “Assessment of the Implementation Effects of Main Functional Area Planning in the Yangtze River Economic Belt”
by Ming Wei, Wen Chen and Yi Wang
Land 2024, 13(7), 940; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070940
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/7/940