Announcements

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) is currently recruiting prestigious scholars from around the world to join our Editorial Board for the following 13 Sections:

• “Land Systems and Global Change”;
• “Landscape Ecology”;
• “Soil–Sediment–Water Systems”;
• “Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues”;
• “Urban Contexts and Urban–Rural Interactions”;
• “Land–Climate Interactions”;
• “Landscape Archaeology”;
• “Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing”;
• “Land Environmental and Policy Impact Assessment”;
• “Land Innovations—Data and Machine Learning”;
• “Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus”;
• “Land—Observation and Monitoring”;
• “Land Planning and Architecture”.

Land is an international and cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal of land system science, landscape, soil–sediment–water systems, 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 a discount on the Article Processing Charge.

The main responsibilities of Editorial Board Members are as follows:

• Pre-checking and making decisions for several manuscripts, based on your area of expertise;
• Acting as, or recommending, a Guest Editor for a Special Issue on a topic related to your research interests;
• Promoting Land and increasing its visibility on related academic social media.

The benefits of becoming an Editorial Board Member include the following:

• The opportunity to publish one paper, free of charge, per year in Land, as well as receiving certain discounts for papers invited from your scientific network;
• A certificate recognizing you as an Editorial Board Member of Land;
• Land may offer sponsorship for conferences organized by you;
• Land may offer travel grants of CHF 300–500 per year for conferences that you attend or organize.

To apply for this position (in one of our Sections), recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest and enthusiasm for the position.

Land Editorial Office

Land is currently recruiting Editors-in-Chief for the following Sections:

• “Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus”.

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) is an international and cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal of land system science, landscape, soil–sediment–water systems, 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 a discount on the Article Processing Charge.

The Section Editor-in-Chief is a leader in their particular field of research, and is responsible for maintaining the scientific quality of a particular section of a journal. The Section Editor-in-Chief is expected to oversee the growth and development of the journal Sections and its Board members. The initial term is for 2 years, which entails the following:

• Acting as an ambassador for the journal, MDPI and Open Access publishing;
• Making scientific decisions about the scope of their Section;
• Inviting distinguished scientists to join the Editorial Board;
• Suggesting topics for Special Issues;
• Providing support and guidance to Editorial Board Members and editorial staff when required;
• Maintaining oversight of the editorial process for individual manuscripts in their Section (mainly by making the final decision regarding whether or not a paper can be published after peer-review and revisions);
• Understanding, leading, and upholding MDPI’s peer review guidelines and ethics guidelines.

To apply for this position (in one of our Sections), recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest and enthusiasm for the position.

Land Editorial Office

Stanford University has recently published an update of the list of the top 2% most widely cited scientists. The time node of the statistical data of this list is from 1960 to 2022, and it is divided into two lists: "Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking" and "2022 Annual Scientific Influence Ranking". The "Lifetime Scientific Influence Ranking" counts the comprehensive influence performance of scientists during their careers, and the "2022 Annual Influence Ranking" focuses on highlighting the academic influence of scientists in the previous year. This ranking, considered the most prestigious worldwide, is based on the bibliometric information contained in the Scopus database and includes more than 200,000 researchers from the more than 10 million scientists considered to be active worldwide, with 22 scientific fields and 176 subfields taken into account.

We are pleased to share that 85 Editorial Board Members from MDPI’s Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) were featured in Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientists list in 2022.

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

We would like to congratulate our Editorial Board Members on their excellent achievement and thank them for their immense contribution to the scientific progression and development of Land.

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X, IF 3.905) launched the “Land Systems and Global Change” Section in November 2019. Dr. Le Yu is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of this Section. This Section welcomes contributions concerning the functioning and dynamics of land systems from local to global scales.

We are pleased to present the Editor’s Choice Articles of the “Land Systems and Global Change” Section in 2020–2021, a snapshot of some of the most exciting work from the Section.

1. “Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa”
by Therezah Achieng, Kristine Maciejewski, Michelle Dyer and Reinette Biggs
Land 2020, 9(4), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9040097
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/4/97

2. “Anthropogenic Biomes: 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE”
by Erle C. Ellis, Arthur H.W. Beusen and Kees Klein Goldewijk
Land 2020, 9(5), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9050129
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/5/129

3. “Monitoring of Changes in Land Use/Land Cover in Syria from 2010 to 2018 Using Multitemporal Landsat Imagery and GIS”
by Mohamed Ali Mohamed, Julian Anders and Christoph Schneider
Land 2020, 9(7), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9070226
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/7/226

4. “Aboveground Biomass Distribution in a Multi-Use Savannah Landscape in Southeastern Kenya: Impact of Land Use and Fences”
by Edward Amara, Hari Adhikari, Janne Heiskanen, Mika Siljander, Martha Munyao, Patrick Omond and Petri Pellikka
Land 2020, 9(10), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9100381
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/10/381

5. “Toward Best Management Practices for Ecological Corridors”
by Andrew Gregory, Emma Spence, Paul Beier and Emily Garding
Land 2021, 10(2), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020140
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/2/140

6. “Land Abandonment in Mountain Areas of the EU: An Inevitable Side Effect of Farming Modernization and Neglected Threat to Sustainable Land Use”
by Thomas Dax, Karin Schroll, Ingrid Machold, Martyna Derszniak-Noirjean, Bernd Schuh and Mailin Gaupp-Berghausen
Land 2021, 10(6), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060591
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/591

7. “Multispectral Sentinel-2 and SAR Sentinel-1 Integration for Automatic Land Cover Classification”
by Paolo De Fioravante, Tania Luti, Alice Cavalli, Chiara Giuliani, Pasquale Dichicco, Marco Marchetti, Gherardo Chirici, Luca Congedo and Michele Munafò
Land 2021, 10(6), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060611
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/611

8. “A Synthesis of Land Use/Land Cover Studies: Definitions, Classification Systems, Meta-Studies, Challenges and Knowledge Gaps on a Global Landscape”
by Ryan Nedd, Katie Light, Marcia Owens, Neil James, Elijah Johnson and Aavudai Anandhi
Land 2021, 10(9), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10090994
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/9/994

9. “Dynamic Amazonia: The EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement and Deforestation”
by Eugenio Arima, Paulo Barreto, Farzad Taheripour and Angel Aguiar
Land 2021, 10(11), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111243
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/11/1243

Submitting a manuscript:

This Section is currently open for submissions. Papers may be submitted via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/?journal=land.

Launching a Special Issue:

You have the opportunity to propose hot topics and edit a Special Issue together with experts in the field: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

Joining the Editorial Board:

If you are an active researcher in the field of land and are interested in joining the Editorial Board, please do not hesitate to contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest and enthusiasm for the position.

Land Editorial Office

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X, Impact Factor 3.905) launched the Section “Landscape Ecology” in November 2019. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Burkhard is currently serving as Editor-in-Chief of this Section.

The Section “Landscape Ecology” welcomes contributions concerning the dynamics of patterns and processes at landscape scales concerning any type of landscape, land use or land cover, including aquatic, coastal, and marine systems. Manuscripts can be theoretical, applied, or “state of the science” reviews but should explicitly address the spatial and/or temporal scale. Interdisciplinary manuscripts focusing on social–ecological systems, sustainability, or global change issues are particularly welcome, as are manuscripts from fields adjacent to landscape ecology, such as geography, macroecology, spatial science, and modeling.

We are pleased to present the Editor’s Choice Articles of Section “Landscape Ecology” in 2020 and 2021, a snapshot of some of the most exciting work from the Section.

1. “Contextualizing Landscape-Scale Forest Cover Loss in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2000 and 2015”
by Giuseppe Molinario, Matthew Hansen, Peter Potapov, Alexandra Tyukavina and Stephen Stehman
Land 2020, 9(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9010023
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/1/23

2. “Measuring Multifunctional Agricultural Landscapes”
by Bingjie Song, Guy M. Robinson and Douglas K. Bardsley
Land 2020, 9(8), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9080260
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/8/260

3. “Local Perceptions of Ecosystem Services Across Multiple Ecosystem Types in Spain”
by Marina García-Llorente et al.
Land 2020, 9(9), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9090330
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/9/330

4. “A Transparent and Intuitive Modeling Framework and Software for Efficient Land Allocation”
by John A. Gallo, Gregory H. Aplet, Randal Greene, Janice L. Thomson and Amanda T. Lombard
Land 2020, 9(11), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9110444
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/444

5. “Cultural Ecosystem Services in the Natura 2000 Network: Introducing Proxy Indicators and Conflict Risk in Greece”
by Vassiliki Vlami, Ioannis P. Kokkoris, Stamatis Zogaris, George Kehayias and Panayotis Dimopoulos
Land 2021, 10(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10010004
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/4

6. “Remote Sensing Analysis to Quantify Change in Woodland Canopy Cover on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA (1935 vs. 2017)”
by Barry Middleton and Laura Norman
Land 2021, 10(4), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10040393
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/4/393

7. “Effects of Forestry Intensification and Conservation on Green Infrastructures: A Spatio-Temporal Evaluation in Sweden”
by Per Angelstam and Michael Manton
Land 2021, 10(5), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10050531
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/5/531

8. “Plant Diversity in the Dynamic Mosaic Landscape of an Agricultural Heritage System: The Minabe-Tanabe Ume System”
by Yuji Hara, Shinji Oki, Yoshiyuki Uchiyama, Kyuichi Ito, Yuto Tani, Asako Naito and Yuki Sampei
Land 2021, 10(6), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060559
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/6/559

9. “Assessing the Role of Kettle Holes for Providing and Connecting Amphibian Habitats in Agricultural Landscapes”
by Biljana Savić, Alevtina Evgrafova, Cenk Donmez, Filip Vasić, Michael Glemnitz and Carsten Paul
Land 2021, 10(7), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070692
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/7/692

Submitting a manuscript:
This Section is currently open for submissions. Papers may be submitted via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/?journal=land.

Launching a Special Issue:
You have the opportunity to propose hot topics and edit a Special Issue together with experts in the field: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

Joining the Editorial Board:

If you are an active researcher in the field of land and are interested in joining the Editorial Board, please do not hesitate to contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest and enthusiasm for the position.

Land Editorial Office

Land (ISSN: 2073-445X, IF: 3.905) launched the “Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions” Section in November 2019. Prof. Dr. Dagmar Haase is now serving as the Section Editor-in-Chief. This Section welcomes contributions concerning both patterns and processes in urban landscapes and cities, as well as along the urban-rural gradient.

The Section is open to submissions dealing with urban land-use change, urbanization impacts on ecosystems and their services in cities, the future of peri-urbanization, the urban heat island, biodiversity aspects, wildlife and nature conservation in urban ecosystems and along urban boundaries, urban planning and governance of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, sustainable cities, and the role of big data in urban social-ecological land research.

We are pleased to present the Editor’s Choice Articles of the Section “Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions” in 2020–2021, a carefully curated list of high-quality articles listed below:

1. “The Potential Supply and Demand of Farmers' Land Contract Rights Based on 697 Households in Four Provinces of China”
by Wujing Wang and Xingqing Ye
Land 2020, 9(3), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9030080
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/3/80

2. “Effects of Urbanization on Farmland Size and Diversified Farm Activities in Japan: an Analysis Based on the Land Parcel Database”
by Shingo Yoshida
Land 2020, 9(9), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9090315
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/9/315

3. “Ejidos, Urbanization, and the Production of Inequality in Formerly Agricultural Lands, Guadalajara, Mexico, 1975-2020”
by Leonardo Barleta, Mateo Carrillo, Zephyr Frank and Erik Steiner
Land 2020, 9(12), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/land9120526
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/12/526

4. “A Review of Urban Ecosystem Services Research in Southeast Asia”
by Karen T. Lourdes, Chris N. Gibbins, Perrine Hamel, Ruzana Sanusi, Badrul Azhar and Alex M. Lechner
Land 2021, 10(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10010040
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/40

5. “Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City”
by Lara A. Roman, Indigo J. Catton, Eric J. Greenfield, Hamil Pearsall, Theodore S. Eisenman and Jason G. Henning
Land 2021, 10(4), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10040403
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/4/403

6. “Ecological Connectivity in Agricultural Green Infrastructure: Suggested Criteria for Fine Scale Assessment and Planning”
by Simone Valeri, Laura Zavattero and Giulia Capotorti
Land 2021, 10(8), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080807
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/8/807

7. “Urban Naturalization For Green Spaces Using Soil Tillage, Herbicide Application, Compost Amendment And Native Vegetation”
by Jaime Aguilar Rojas, Amalesh Dhar and M. Anne Naeth
Land 2021, 10(8), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080854
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/8/854

8. “Research on Tourism, Indigenous Peoples and Economic Development: A Missing Component”
by Richard Butler
Land 2021, 10(12), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10121329
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/12/1329

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the research groups that submitted to Land (ISSN: 2073-445X). We would appreciate it if you could circulate this document among your colleagues and network. Furthermore, the following opportunities for collaboration may be of interest:

Submitting a manuscript:
This Section is currently open for submissions. Papers may be submitted via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/?journal=land.

Launching a Special Issue:
You have the opportunity to propose hot topics and edit a Special Issue together with experts in the field: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

Joining the Editorial Board:
If you are an active researcher in the field of land and are interested in joining the Editorial Board, please do not hesitate to contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files provided:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest in and enthusiasm for the position.

Land Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce that twenty-four new scholars have recently been appointed Editorial Board Members (EBMs) of the journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X).

 Further details about the Editorial Board can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors. 

We wish them every success in both their research and in the development of the journal. 

Additionally, Land is recruiting prestigious scholars from around the world to join our Editorial Board. To apply for this position, recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Land Editorial Office (land@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest in and enthusiasm for the position. 

Land Editorial Office

Peer Review Week began 19 September 2022 under the theme of “Research Integrity: Creating and Supporting Trust in Research”. Through various blog articles, podcast, and webinar, we discussed this crucial subject throughout the week, celebrating the essential role peer review plays in maintaining research quality.

To begin, we held a Webinar on the topic. Professor Peter W. Choate and Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi joined Dr. Ioana Craciun, one of MDPI’s scientific officers, for an in-depth discussion.

We invite you to view the event recording:

During the week, the MDPI Blog in a series articles highlighted how good Peer Review safeguards research integrity. The following topics were covered:

• Peer Review Week 2022
• Research Integrity
• What We’ve Learned About Peer Review Reports
• 4 Steps to the Perfect Peer Review Report
• How to Write the Perfect Peer Review Report: An Interview
• Inviting Great Peer Reviewers

In a new edition of Insight Faster, an MDPI podcast, we were delighted to talk to the co-chairs of the Peer Review Week committee, Jayashree Rajagopalan (Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement for CACTUS) and Danielle Padula (Head of Marketing and Community Development at Scholastica) to get their take on this year’s event and its related topics.

You can find the Podcast here.

We hope you enjoy the contents!

MDPI will be attending the AGU Fall Meeting 2022 (AGU22), held in Chicago and online, from 12 to 16 December 2022. The AGU Fall Meeting is the most influential event in the world dedicated to the advancement of Earth and space sciences. The conference unites the Earth and space science community to share findings, connect like-minded scientists from around the world, and advance our profession and shared passion for the impact of science. Researchers, scientists, educators, students, policymakers, enthusiasts, journalists, and communicators attend the AGU Fall Meeting to better understand our planet and environment, and our role in preserving its future.

During this conference, MDPI (at booth #1452) will welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest views and research with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Water (leading journal);
• Remote Sensing (leading journal);
• Geosciences;
• Climate;
• Hydrology;
• Land;
• Drones;
• Environments;
• Sustainability;
• IJERPH;
• Earth;
• Fire;
• GeoHazards;
• Oceans;
• World.

If you plan on attending this conference, feel free to stop by our booth at #1452. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions you may have.

For more information about the conference, please see the following link: https://igs.org/event/agu22/.

The 2021 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals:

For more information on Impact Factors and what it means to index academic journals, please visit our related blog posts.

* Journals given their first Impact Factor in 2022

Source: 2021 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2022)