Marine Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Sustainability: Building Resilient Oceans

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid climatic shifts, intensifying human pressures, and accelerating biodiversity loss are transforming the world’s oceans at unprecedented scales. Building resilient marine ecosystems has, therefore, become a central challenge for sustainability science and global environmental governance. This Special Issue, “Marine Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Sustainability: Building Resilient Oceans”, brings together interdisciplinary research that advances our understanding of how marine species, ecological networks, and socio-economic systems respond to environmental change and anthropogenic drivers. With a sustainability-oriented perspective, this issue highlights the urgent need to integrate ecological principles with adaptive management, technological innovation, and community-based stewardship to safeguard marine biodiversity.

We welcome studies that explore mechanisms shaping biodiversity patterns—from oceanographic connectivity, habitat degradation, and climate-driven redistribution to fisheries exploitation and culturally influenced harvesting practices. Contributions examining ecosystem services, marine protected areas, nature-based solutions, blue carbon ecosystems, and resilience indicators are particularly encouraged. We also invite the submission of research that links natural sciences with social sciences, including governance frameworks, co-management models, marine policy evaluation, and the role of indigenous and local knowledge in sustaining ocean health.

By synthesizing insights from ecology, oceanography, conservation biology, socio-ecological systems, environmental economics, and sustainability science, this Special Issue aims to establish an integrated foundation for resilient oceans. Ultimately, we look to promote evidence-based strategies that maintain ecological integrity, enhance climate resilience, and ensure equitable access to marine resources for future generations. Through novel methodologies, cross-regional case studies, and forward-looking analyses, this issue strives to catalyze actionable solutions for one of the most urgent sustainability challenges of our time.

Prof. Dr. Tzong-Der Tzeng
Dr. Po-Cheng Chen
Guest Editors

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