Tools for Ecological Assessment and Supporting Decision-Making in Sustainable Freshwater Ecosystem Management
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 January 2026 | Viewed by 164
Special Issue Editors
Interests: freshwater ecology; freshwater fish; lake ecosystem structure; inland fisheries; conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: freshwater biodiversity; ecological indices; ecology; freshwater fish; inland fisheries; conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems; water quality; ecotoxicology, ecosystems structure and functioning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Freshwater ecosystems are highly dynamic and sensitive environments, playing a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem services, and water availability. However, they are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures, climate change, and biological invasions. Addressing these challenges requires a dual focus: reliable assessment of the ecological condition, and robust frameworks to guide decision-making in conservation and management.
This Special Issue brings together research that contributes to the sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems by exploring methods for ecological assessment—such as biological indicators and multi-metric indices—as well as structured decision-support tools that inform management priorities, policy planning, and stakeholder engagement.
This Special Issue invites contributions focusing on ecological status assessment and/or decision-support approaches for the sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Biological indicators and ecological indices for freshwater quality assessment.
- Biological and biomarkers-based monitoring tools to assess environmental stressors.
- Multi-criteria decision-making methods (e.g., SWOT, AHP, MCDA) for prioritizing management actions.
- Linking ecological data with management, conservation, and policy planning.
- Risk assessment and conservation prioritization tools.
- Adaptive and participatory freshwater management frameworks.
- Case studies on lake or river basin assessment and restoration.
Given the growing complexity of environmental challenges affecting freshwater ecosystems, it is essential to apply methods that can both evaluate ecological conditions and support data-driven management decisions. This Special Issue seeks to consolidate recent research that bridges ecological monitoring with practical conservation and policy tools. It offers a platform for interdisciplinary approaches and applied studies that inform real-world management under changing environmental conditions.
This Special Issue aims to promote dialogue and knowledge exchange between ecologists, water managers, and decision-makers working on freshwater ecosystems. We welcome original research articles, methodological developments, reviews, and case studies that advance sustainable, science-based approaches to freshwater ecosystem assessment and management.
Dr. Olga Petriki
Dr. Dimitra Bobori
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
- ecological assessment
- biological indicators
- bioindicators
- environmental stressors
- decision-support tools
- SWOT analysis
- AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process)
- MCDA (Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis)
- freshwater quality
- WFD (Water Framework Directive)
- adaptive management
- sustainable freshwater ecosystems
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.
