Sustainable Plantation Systems in Desert and Marginal Lands

Dear Colleagues,

A plantation is an ecological barrier for an oasis in a desert ecosystem and marginal lands, e.g., sandy land, degraded grassland, saline land and Gobi. The combination of trees, shrubs and herbs prevents the expansion of moving sand dunes and decreases the damage of sand storms, thus maintaining the ecological safety of cities, villages and roads in arid land. However, with the increase in the population, climate change, diseases and insects, large areas of plantations have degraded in recent decades, especially in northwest China, central Asia and North Africa. The future of plantations is still uncertain because of the loss of their structure and function. This will not only affect the survival of millions of people who live on arid land, but also might result in globally ecological disasters. Thus, it is urgent to clarify the degradation status and take sustainable restoration measures for plantations in desert and marginal lands.

This Special Issue welcomes all types of research articles that explore ecology, adaptations, impacts of climate change and human behaver related to plantation systems in desert and marginal lands using a variety of ecological, biogeographical and physiological approaches.

Dr. Yajuan Zhu
Dr. Xuehua Ye
Guest Editors

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