Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.9
3.2
Journals
Land
Special Issues
Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas
share announcement

Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 1684

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Patrick J. Comer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ComerEcology, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
Interests: biodiversity conservation; terrestrial ecosystem mapping; status and trend assessment of ecosystem condition; climate change vulnerability and adaptation; systematic conservation planning
Dr. Gregory E. Eckert

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Independent Researcher, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA
Interests: restoration ecology; disturbance ecology, ecological assessment; managed ecosystems; soil and soil ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Accelerating environmental change is causing increasing stress on natural ecosystems with cascading effects on biodiversity and sustainability. The rate of change in ecosystems challenges prior assumptions for place-based priority setting and ecosystem-based management or restoration. Science-driven conservation, involving ecosystem inventory, assessment, management/restoration, and monitoring, is foundational to sustainability. This certainly applies to protected areas and adjacent landscapes designated for conserving biodiversity, other ecosystem values, and critical services. However, both challenges to and opportunities for implementing ecosystem-based conservation continue to advance. Emerging technologies and tools provide essential insights for policymakers, planners, and managers engaged in place-based biodiversity conservation.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) to give insights about these emerging challenges, opportunities, technologies, and tools for implementing ecosystem-based conservation, with an emphasis on actions to support areas designated for biodiversity conservation. This Special Issue will highlight key aspects of ecosystem-based conservation science, from prioritizing places for conservation designation, documenting trends in threats to ecosystems and ecosystem condition, and systematic approaches for taking actions to conserve and restore ecosystems and the species they support. Treatments of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems will be encouraged. This Special Issue aims to demonstrate the current state of the science in ecosystem-based conservation, especially as it applies to protected areas.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Ecosystem condition assessment;
  • Ecosystem degradation;
  • Landscape dynamics, alteration, and stress;
  • Place-based conservation priorities;
  • Management and restoration of socio-ecological systems;
  • Climate change vulnerability assessment;
  • Biodiversity conservation planning;
  • Ecosystem monitoring.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Patrick J. Comer
Dr. Gregory E. Eckert
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Land 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

  • ecosystem condition assessment
  • ecosystem degradation
  • landscape dynamics, alteration, and stress
  • place-based conservation priorities
  • ecosystem management and restoration
  • socio-ecological systems
  • climate change vulnerability and adaptation
  • biodiversity conservation planning
  • ecosystem monitoring

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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 4470 KiB  
Article
Habitat Suitability and Enhancement Strategies for Waterbirds in Fishing Withdrawal Zones: An Evidence-Based Assessment
by Yiping Zuo, Yuxing Wei, Yufeng Li, Jingjing Ding, Yixin Zhao, Zhenmei Zhao, Yanan Zhang, Zaifeng Wang and Hai Cheng
Land 2025, 14(4), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040870 - 15 Apr 2025
Viewed by 210
Abstract
The Yancheng coastal wetlands serve as a crucial stopover site along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. The rapid expansion of aquaculture has led to a significant decline in natural wetlands, impacting both the distribution and quality of waterbird habitats. Following the designation of the [...] Read more.
The Yancheng coastal wetlands serve as a crucial stopover site along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. The rapid expansion of aquaculture has led to a significant decline in natural wetlands, impacting both the distribution and quality of waterbird habitats. Following the designation of the region as a World Natural Heritage site in 2019, the local government has prioritized the protection of waterbird habitats, leading to the large-scale withdrawal of aquaculture from the region. Nevertheless, the impact of the fishing withdrawal on waterbird habitat selection and the ecological benefits it brought remain unknown. In this study, based on the identification of fishing withdrawal zones in the Yancheng coastal area, six waterbird groups, Anatidae, Ardeidae, Charadriiformes, Laridae, Gruidae and Ciconiidae, were selected to construct an evaluation index system for habitat suitability. The Biomod2 ensemble model was employed to analyze the spatial differences of suitable habitats for waterbirds within the fishing withdrawal zones. The result revealed the following: (1) As of 2022, the area of fishing withdrawal zones had reached 2.23 × 104 ha, primarily distributed in Beihuan and Nanhuan. Among these, the area of fishing withdrawal zones in Nanhuan was the largest, reaching 6.78 × 103 ha. (2) Unsuitable area for waterbirds was largest in the fishing withdrawal zones, with a proportion of 60% and 58% for Gruidae and Ciconiidae, respectively. (3) The rich nutrients, high coverage and tall stature of emergent vegetation in the fishing withdrawal zones led to a reduction in water surface area, resulting in significant adverse effects on the suitable habitats for Charadriiformes and Gruidae. Therefore, the results suggest that most areas after fishing withdrawal were still not suitable habitats for waterbirds. The implementation of scientific fishing withdrawal practices, along with ecological restoration and management, is crucial for improving the habitat suitability in fishing withdrawal zones. This study provides valuable insights for more purposeful selection of fishing withdrawal sites, and more scientific management and restoration of these areas to enhance their ecological benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 8190 KiB  
Article
Pinglu Canal Construction and Its Impact on Wildlife Habitat Connectivity: A Multi-Species Network Analysis and Ecological Restoration Strategy
by Yuan Cao, Kai Su, Yongfa You, Xuebing Jiang, Chuang Li and Junjie Chen
Land 2025, 14(1), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010150 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 950
Abstract
The construction of the Pinglu Canal has significantly promoted economic development in southwestern Guangxi but it has also posed serious threats to wildlife habitat connectivity in the region. During the construction process, changes in land use types have led to habitat fragmentation, triggering [...] Read more.
The construction of the Pinglu Canal has significantly promoted economic development in southwestern Guangxi but it has also posed serious threats to wildlife habitat connectivity in the region. During the construction process, changes in land use types have led to habitat fragmentation, triggering a series of negative ecological effects, such as the “ecological island effect” and “edge effect”. This study uses the MaxEnt model to identify habitats for 11 wildlife species within the study area, categorized into terrestrial mammals, amphibians and reptiles, forest birds, and water birds, thereby constructing a multi-species habitat connectivity network (MHCN). Through complex network analysis, we assess habitat connectivity before and after the canal’s construction, as well as after implementing habitat optimization strategies. The results indicate that, following the completion of the Pinglu Canal, the wildlife habitat area decreased by 516.47 square kilometers, accounting for 5.79% of the total area, and the number of wildlife migration corridors decreased from 279 to 223, with a total decline of 56. Moreover, the average degree and clustering coefficient of habitat connectivity networks for various species showed a downward trend, while the average path length increased, indicating intensified habitat fragmentation and a growing threat to biodiversity in the region. In response, an ecological restoration strategy is proposed, which involves creating new habitats at key ecological “pinch points” and “barrier points,” increasing habitat area by 28.13% and the number of migration corridors by 33.41%, significantly enhancing the network’s robustness and connectivity. This research provides important references for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop