Linking Ecological Networks and Ecosystem Service Flow: Toward Regional Ecological Conservation and Sustainability

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 5

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Sustainability, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: landscape ecology; restoration ecology; ecosystem service; spatial modelling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of accelerating global climate change, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity loss, the integration of spatial ecological structure and ecological functions has become a critical direction in land system science, and ecological networks are employed to maintain habitat connectivity and support species migration, while ecosystem service flows describe the dynamic processes by which ecosystems benefit people and other species across space and time. However, researchers have yet to fully integrate these concepts to develop practical solutions for fragmented landscapes and, therefore, understanding how ecosystems are spatially connected and how ecological functions are transferred across landscapes is increasingly recognized as critical for addressing biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and fragmented land systems.

In terms of contributions to this Special Issue, we are interested in submissions that link ecosystem service flow to ecological networks, ecological security patterns, and ecological restoration. We welcome both empirical studies and conceptual or theoretical explorations that investigate the spatial processes, functional linkages, and planning implications involved in such integration including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Ecological network theories and methods;
  • Ecosystem service flow;
  • Ecological restoration effects on ecological networks;
  • Ecological security patterns;
  • Landscape ecology principles;
  • Climate change effects on ecosystem services;
  • Landscape connectivity;
  • Land use change on ecosystem services;
  • Ecosystem service supply and demand;
  • Ecosystem services and human well-being;
  • Habitat modelling and conservation;
  • Regional sustainability.

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

Prof. Dr. Shiliang Liu
Prof. Dr. Jinyan Zhan
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

  • ecological network
  • ecosystem service flow
  • ecological security pattern
  • habitat fragmentation
  • ecosystem service
  • landscape connectivity
  • ecological restoration
  • land use change
  • species migration

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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