Conservation Shortcuts in Coastal Ecosystems: Optimal Approaches for Monitoring, Management, and Public Engagement
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Oceans".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 192
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sandy beach ecology; marine pollution; biodiversity patterns and conservation biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: coastal marine ecology; coastal ecosystem conservation; marine community structure; coastal ecosystem functioning; benthic ecology; marine benthic invertebrates; population dynamics; reproductive ecology; coastal biodiversity; marine conservation biology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The accelerating loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in coastal environments demands efficient, scalable, and evidence-based approaches to conservation and sustainable management; however, comprehensive biodiversity assessments are often constrained by financial, logistical, and temporal limitations, particularly in dynamic and human-dominated coastal systems. In this context, conservation science has increasingly focused on conservation shortcuts, defined as the use of selected taxa, ecological attributes, and optimized monitoring tools that act as surrogates for broader patterns of biodiversity, ecosystem condition, or disturbance. These approaches aim to improve efficiency while maintaining scientific robustness, supporting timely and informed decision-making.
This Special Issue aims to gather contributions that evaluate, validate, and critically assess conservation shortcuts and surrogate-based approaches in coastal ecosystems. We encourage studies testing high-taxon and cross-taxon relationships, biodiversity and disturbance indicators, as well as the effectiveness of keystone, foundation, and ecosystem engineering species, umbrella and flagship species, and other biological proxies. Importantly, contributions should explicitly address the reliability, transferability, and limitations of these approaches across spatial, temporal, and environmental gradients, helping clarify when shortcuts provide robust ecological inference and when they may fail to capture broader ecosystem dynamics. Studies linking conservation shortcuts to practical application, such as rapid biodiversity assessment, spatial prioritization, restoration, adaptive management, and sustainability outcomes, are particularly welcome. Research integrating public engagement and science communication is also encouraged, especially when grounded in robust ecological evidence.
There are no restrictions regarding geographic scale or taxonomic focus. Local and regional studies are welcome, provided they clearly discuss broader implications for sustainable coastal conservation.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Leonardo Lopes Costa
Dr. Guilherme N. Corte
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- coastal ecosystem
- ecological indicators
- bioindicator
- biomonitor
- sentinel
- spatial prioritization
- umbrella species
- disturbance indicators
- flagship
- keystone
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