Integrating Ecosystem Services and Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Resource Management and Policy
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editor
Interests: ecosystem services; indigenous well-being; developing payments for ecosystem services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increasing urgency of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation calls for holistic and inclusive approaches to sustainability. While ecological and economic models have long shaped natural resource management, there is growing recognition of the critical role Indigenous knowledge and biocultural relationships play in shaping sustainable outcomes. Ecological economics offers a transdisciplinary framework for valuing ecosystem services in both tangible and intangible ways, especially when viewed through the lens of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), whose cultural, spiritual, and livelihood connections to land and nature are deeply interwoven.
The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the integration of ecosystem service valuation, Indigenous knowledge systems, and community-based approaches into environmental decision-making and policy. We welcome original research, theoretical contributions, and applied case studies that advance sustainable development by linking ecological, social, and economic dimensions—particularly through culturally grounded perspectives.
Key themes of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Ecosystem service assessment and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PESs);
- Indigenous knowledge and biocultural values in natural resource management;
- Sustainable livelihoods and local economy development;
- Valuation of non-market ecosystem benefits (e.g., wellbeing, cultural identity);
- Nature-based solutions grounded in Indigenous and local contexts;
- Policy frameworks supporting equity, justice, and community resilience.
This Special Issue supports the advancement of multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to climate action, life on land, reducing inequality, and promoting inclusive economic growth through environmental stewardship.
Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Sangha
Guest Editor
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
- ecosystem services
- indigenous knowledge
- ecological economics
- biocultural values
- sustainability policy
- nature-based solutions
- UN SDGs
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