sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Forest Management and Vegetation Restoration: Strategies for Enhancing Socio-Ecological Resilience and Mitigating Climate Change Impacts

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1493

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Natural Environment Management, Agricultural University of Athens, 3 Dimokratias str., 36100 Karpenissi, Greece
Interests: forest engineering; forest operations; resilience; human–nature interactions; social–ecological systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, 68200 Orestiada, Greece
Interests: forest resource development; green entrepreneurship and innovation; regional development; forest valuation and accounting; land use planning; financial management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, 68200 Orestiada, Greece
Interests: forest operations; forest management and planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are essential components of the Earth's biosphere, playing a critical role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting biodiversity, regulating climate, and providing ecosystem services that are vital for human well-being. However, anthropogenic pressures such as deforestation, land degradation, and climate change are causing unprecedented transformations in forest ecosystems. These changes threaten the sustainability of forest resources and the long-term health of terrestrial ecosystems.

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) has arisen as a holistic strategy for balancing the ecological, social, and economic roles of forests. It aims to sustain and enhance forests' ability to produce goods and services while protecting biodiversity and boosting resilience to environmental changes. Vegetation restoration, on the other hand, seeks to rehabilitate damaged forest ecosystems, promote natural regeneration, and restore lost ecological functions and services due to human interference or natural disturbances.

The intersection of SFM and vegetation restoration is gaining popularity in the scientific community as an effective strategy for combating land degradation, increasing carbon sequestration, and meeting global environmental goals like the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By combining scientific knowledge, traditional practices, and modern technologies, sustainable forest management and vegetation restoration can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable rural development.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together cutting-edge research that increases our understanding and practice of sustainable forest management and vegetation restoration. This collection of research articles will provide insights into the most recent scientific discoveries, innovative methodologies, and multidisciplinary approaches to supporting healthy forest ecosystems and restoring areas of damage.

This Special Issue aligns with the scope of Sustainability, which includes studies on environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability. It addresses major challenges in sustainable resource management and emphasizes the importance of forests in building a sustainable future. By contributing to the body of knowledge on sustainable forestry and restoration practices, this Special Issue aims to inform policy, guide management methods, and inspire future research aligned with sustainability goals.

The Special Issue accepts original research articles, reviews, and case studies on the following topics:

              1. Innovative Practices in Sustainable Forest Management:

  • Development and implementation of sustainable forestry methods.
  • Socioeconomic and cultural components of forest management.
  • Integration of indigenous knowledge and community-based management practices.

               2. Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Approaches:

  • Restoration techniques for degraded forest areas.
  • Ecosystem rehabilitation through both spontaneous and aided regeneration.
  • Use of native species and biodiversity-friendly restoration methods.

              3. Forest Ecosystem Services and Functionality:

  • Assessment of the ecological services offered by sustainable forests.
  • Forests’ roles in water regulation, soil conservation, and climate change mitigation.
  • Assessment of forest resilience and adaptive potential in response to climate change.

              4. Biodiversity Conservation and Habitat Restoration:

  • Conservation solutions for endangered forest species and environments.
  • Role of sustainable forest management in protecting biodiversity hotspots.
  • Synergies between SFM and biodiversity preservation.

               5. Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Mitigation:

  • Forests’ role in carbon storage and sequestration.
  • Restoration strategies contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
  • Quantifying carbon dynamics in managed and regenerated forests.

              6. Policy, Governance, and Economic Aspects of Sustainable Forest Management:

  • Evaluation of policies promoting SFM and vegetation restoration.
  • Economic valuation of forest ecosystem services and restoration efforts.
  • Frameworks for sustainable forest management.

               7. Technical and Methodological Advances in Forest Monitoring and Assessment:

  • Remote sensing, geographic information systems, and other modern forest management methods.
  • Innovative approaches for assessing forest health and vegetation recovery.
  • Data-driven methodologies and models for sustainable forest management.

This Special Issue aims to provide a complete overview of the current level of research in these areas, encouraging multidisciplinary conversation and providing practical solutions to improve the sustainability and resilience of forest ecosystems.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Stergios Tampekis
Prof. Dr. Garyfallos Arabatzis
Dr. Apostolos Kantartzis
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable forest management
  • vegetation restoration
  • climate change mitigation
  • socio-ecological resilience
  • biodiversity conservation
  • carbon sequestration
  • ecosystem services
  • forest rehabilitation
  • land degradation
  • environmental sustainability

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.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

31 pages, 9836 KiB  
Article
Identification and Restoration of Forest Degradation Areas in Shaanxi Province Based on the LandTrendr Algorithm
by Qianqian Tian, Bingshu Zhao, Chenyu Xu, Han Wang, Siwei Chen and Xuhui Wang
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135729 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 218
Abstract
As an important ecological barrier in Northwest China, the health of forest ecosystems in Shaanxi Province is crucial to regional ecological balance and sustainable development. However, forest degradation has become increasingly prominent in recent years due to both natural and anthropogenic pressures. This [...] Read more.
As an important ecological barrier in Northwest China, the health of forest ecosystems in Shaanxi Province is crucial to regional ecological balance and sustainable development. However, forest degradation has become increasingly prominent in recent years due to both natural and anthropogenic pressures. This study aims to identify the spatio-temporal pattern of forest degradation in Shaanxi Province, construct an ecological network, and propose targeted restoration strategies. To this end, we first built a structural-functional forest degradation (SFD) assessment system and used the Landsat-based detection of trends in disturbance and recovery (LandTrendr) algorithm to identify degraded areas and types; subsequently, we used morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model to construct a forest ecological network and identify key restoration nodes. Finally, we proposed a differentiated restoration strategy for near-natural forests based on the Miyawaki method as a conceptual framework to guide future ecological recovery efforts. The results showed that (1) in 1991–2020, the total area of forest degradation in Shaanxi Province was 1010.89 km2, which was dominated by functional degradation (98%) and structural degradation (87.15%), with significant regional differences; (2) the constructed ecological network contained 189 ecological source sites, 189 ecological corridors, 89 key nodes, and 50 urgently restored; and (3) specific restoration measures were proposed for different degradation conditions (e.g., density regulation and forest window construction for functional light degradation and maintenance of the status quo or full reconstruction for structural heavy degradation). This study provides key data and systematic methods for the accurate monitoring of forest degradation, the optimization of ecological networks, and scientific restoration in Shaanxi Province, which holds great practical significance for establishing a robust ecological barrier in Northwest China. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 13843 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Criteria Forest Fire Danger Assessment System on GIS Using Literature-Based Model and Analytical Hierarchy Process Model for Mediterranean Coast of Manavgat, Türkiye
by İzzet Ersoy, Emre Ünsal and Önder Gürsoy
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051971 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 921
Abstract
Forest fires pose significant environmental and economic risks, particularly in fire-prone regions like the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye. This study presents a comprehensive Forest Fire Danger Assessment System (FoFiDAS), by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a literature-based model, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), [...] Read more.
Forest fires pose significant environmental and economic risks, particularly in fire-prone regions like the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye. This study presents a comprehensive Forest Fire Danger Assessment System (FoFiDAS), by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a literature-based model, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and machine learning (ML) to improve forest fire danger classification. Both models integrate 13 key parameters identified through the literature. A comparison of these models revealed 53% overlap in fire danger classifications. While the AHP model, based on expert-weighted assessment, provided a more structured and localized classification, the literature-based model relied on broader scientific data but lacked adaptability. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between fire danger classifications and historical fire occurrences, with correlation scores of 0.927 (AHP) and 0.939 (literature-based). Further ROC analysis confirmed the predictive performance of both models, yielding AUC values of 0.91 and 0.9121 for the literature-based and AHP models, respectively. Five ML algorithms were used to validate classification performances, with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) achieving the highest accuracy (86.5%). The accuracy of the ANN algorithm exceeded 0.93 for each danger class, and the F1-Score was above 0.85. FoFiDAS offers a reliable tool for fire danger assessment, supporting early intervention and decision making. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop