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Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Vegetation Management: Forestry, Agriculture and Protected Areas

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 2553

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Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Ecotheology, John Wesley Theological College, 1086 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: ecology of oribatid mites; biogeography; global and human ecology; modeling and monitoring of natural and human-influenced ecosystems; conservation biology; sustainability; ecotheology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the key issues of the present global ecological crisis is the preservation of biodiversity, i.e., the maintenance of complex natural ecosystems which are seriously threatened by global overpopulation, environmental destruction, and climate change.

Maintaining our planet’s biodiversity in relation to its terrestrial ecosystems is closely related to all activities that affect and influence the vegetation of these natural or human-influenced ecologies. All nature conservation efforts can only be effective within the framework of a sustainable global society.

This Special Issue, entitled “Biodiversity Preservation and Sustainable Vegetation Management: Forestry, Agriculture and Protected Areas”, aims to provide a broad overview of the frontlines of this field of pure and applied ecological research.

This Special Issue is looking for original research, case studies, preliminary reports, and scientific review articles linked to biodiversity conservation in connection with activities that affect vegetation, such as forestry, agriculture, grazing, urban park maintenance, landscape architecture, nature conservation management, national park establishment, land use planning, seaweed and reed farming, among many others.

Prof. Dr. Levente Hufnagel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • conservation biology
  • sustainable forestry
  • sustainable organic agriculture
  • vegetation management
  • wildlife protection
  • applied ecology
  • environmental research
  • landscape architecture
  • sustainable garden art
  • urban forests
  • national parks
  • land use change

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 6725 KiB  
Article
Habitat Suitability Dynamics of Yellow River Delta Nature Reserves for Rare Waterbirds
by Hongli Wang, Yunyi Chi, Yujie Zhong and Qiang Wang
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5326; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125326 - 9 Jun 2025
Viewed by 636
Abstract
Coastal wetland degradation continues to threaten the stability and ecological function of rare waterbird habitats, highlighting the need for a multi-species, long-term habitat assessment framework. This study examines the YRDNR using an integrated approach that combines MaxEnt and HSI models, high-resolution Land Use/Land [...] Read more.
Coastal wetland degradation continues to threaten the stability and ecological function of rare waterbird habitats, highlighting the need for a multi-species, long-term habitat assessment framework. This study examines the YRDNR using an integrated approach that combines MaxEnt and HSI models, high-resolution Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data, and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation to assess habitat dynamics for five rare waterbird species from 2005 to 2024. The key findings include the following: (1) The total wetland area first declined, then increased, with natural wetlands decreasing and artificial wetlands expanding. (2) Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) emerged as the primary factor influencing habitat suitability, with species-specific environmental responses. (3) Habitats for Ciconia boyciana, Larus saundersi, Grus japonensis, and Numenius madagascariensis declined and then recovered, while the Cygnus olor’s habitat steadily expanded. Habitat fragmentation increased for Larus saundersi and Numenius madagascariensis, while patch size and connectivity improved for Ciconia boyciana, Grus japonensis, and Cygnus olor. (4) Overall, the suitable habitat area of rare waterbird increased, accompanied by a structural shift from natural to artificial wetlands. The proposed framework supports the long-term monitoring and precise management of coastal wetlands, offering valuable insights for global waterbird conservation and sustainable wetland governance. Full article
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15 pages, 1954 KiB  
Article
The 30 × 30 Protection Target: Attitudes of Residents from Seven Countries
by James A. Fitzsimons, Kellyn Garrison, Blinne Finnegan and Ian Luby
Sustainability 2025, 17(8), 3444; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083444 - 12 Apr 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 610
Abstract
In December 2022, 196 countries adopted the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Global Biodiversity Framework outlines four ambitious global goals and 23 targets for the world to address the loss of biodiversity and the more sustainable use [...] Read more.
In December 2022, 196 countries adopted the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Global Biodiversity Framework outlines four ambitious global goals and 23 targets for the world to address the loss of biodiversity and the more sustainable use of natural resources. One of those targets—Target 3—commits to achieving the protection of at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas and of marine and coastal areas by 2030 (the “30 × 30 protection target”). This is one of the largest conservation commitments that countries around the world have made. Prior to the signing of the Global Biodiversity Framework, a survey of residents in seven countries (Australia, Barbados, Colombia, Germany, Kenya, Mongolia, and the USA) was conducted to understand their level of awareness and gauge their support for the 30 × 30 protection target. In the seven countries surveyed in late 2022, a strong majority of respondents in each country rated the target favorably and were likely to support their government making commitments on it. This survey is the only multi-country pre-Global Biodiversity Framework survey and provides a useful baseline to track changes in opinion on 30 × 30 over time. Full article
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15 pages, 1842 KiB  
Article
Conservation Implications of Vegetation Characteristics and Soil Properties in Endangered Mangrove Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea on Hainan Island, China
by He Bai, Song Sun, Bingjie Zheng, Luoqing Zhu, Hongke Li and Qiang Liu
Sustainability 2025, 17(1), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010191 - 30 Dec 2024
Viewed by 970
Abstract
Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea is an endangered mangrove species in China. Over-exploitation and coastal development have drastically reduced its distribution and population, now limited to the Qingmei Port (Sanya) and the Qinglan Port (Wenchang). Despite its critical status, research on its ecological roles remains limited. [...] Read more.
Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea is an endangered mangrove species in China. Over-exploitation and coastal development have drastically reduced its distribution and population, now limited to the Qingmei Port (Sanya) and the Qinglan Port (Wenchang). Despite its critical status, research on its ecological roles remains limited. This study examines the characteristics of S. hydrophyllacea communities and their relationship with soil properties. A total of 17 species from 11 families and 14 genera were recorded. TWINSPAN classification identified two distinct community types: the Qinglan Port community and the Qingmei Port community. Significant biodiversity differences were found only in the tree layer, with no differences in shrub or herbaceous layers. The importance value of S. hydrophyllacea within the arbor layer exhibited variability across the two communities, serving as an associated species in the Qinglan Port community and as a dominant species in the Qingmei Port community, suggesting potential barriers to its natural regeneration. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that key soil factors influencing S. hydrophyllacea’s distribution include electrical conductivity (EC), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), soil organic content (SOC), and carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N). We propose that high soil salinity and nitrogen deficiency may act as key factors limiting the natural regeneration of S. hydrophyllacea. Full article
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