Novel and Urban Forests: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 2621
Special Issue Editors
Interests: urban and novel forests; mountain vegetation; plant ecology; species diversity; conservation biodiversity; landscape ecology
Interests: plant physiology; biochemistry; molecular biology; stress responses; functional genomics; gene regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The ecological concept of “Novel Forests” (Novel Ecosystems) gained popularity in the early years of this millennium, still being controversial and lacking in research. By definition, a novel forest possesses a set of peculiar characteristics, such as exceeding ecological thresholds that guide it towards new ecosystem processes; differences in composition, structure, and functioning compared to a reference ecosystem; a strong presence and dominance of exotic/invasive species; and being able to persist and self-organize naturally. Studies have already shown that forests in urban environments are potential novel forests. This is because the conversion of the natural landscape into urban areas tends to be severe, leading the remaining small forests to be subjected to multiple and constant stressors. Novel forests are a reality in fragmented forest landscapes, in an era (Anthropocene) where they cannot be ignored but should rather be studied and understood.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore advances in research related to novel and urban forests, focusing on aspects involving their ecology, biodiversity, and conservation. Specifically, contributions should concentrate on one or more of the following aspects:
- Functional and phylogenetic aspects of novel and urban forests;
- Dynamics and functioning of novel and urban forests;
- The significance of novel and urban forests for biodiversity conservation;
- Ecosystem services provided by novel and urban forests;
- Robust and comprehensive inventories of biodiversity and functional attributes in novel and urban forests;
- Novel and urban forests in the context of climate change;
- Novel and urban forests in the context of environmental governance policies.
Prof. Dr. Fabrício Alvim Carvalho
Prof. Dr. Liming Yang
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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
- novel forests
- novel ecosystems
- urban forests
- urban ecosystems
- urban forestry
- ecosystem services
- forest dynamics
- functional ecology
- climate change
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.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
