Special Issue "Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Flavia Bartoli
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00154 Roma RM, Italy
Interests: biology applied to the conservation and valorization of cultural heritage and cultural landscape; iconography, management and planning of vegetation in archaeological sites and historical gardens; urban ecology
Ms. Seyedh Zohreh Hosseini
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Science, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: science for the conservation and valorization of cultural heritage; iconography, management and planning of vegetation in archaeological sites and historical gardens
Dr. Emanuela Cicinelli
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: biology applied to the conservation and valorization of cultural heritage and cultural landscape; management and planning of vegetation in archaeological sites and historical gardens; urban ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am serving as Guest Editor for the Special Issue entitled “Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity” of the open-access journal Sustainability by MDPI.

The aim of this Special Issue is to give an updated view of the state of the art in botany and cultural heritage, highlighting the main aspects related to the positive and negative roles that vegetation plays in archaeological areas, as dangerous, historic, ornamental, and symbolic, but also natural, components. In this way, we seek papers on topics including but not limited to:

  • On the vegetation management problem;
  • On the botanical planning of archaeological sites;
  • On the valorization of plant biodiversity as present species, iconographic representations, and as historical remains;
  • On the study, reconstruction, and restoration of historical gardens;
  • On the natural value of the vegetation growing in archaeological areas;
  • On cultural landscapes;

In this way, the Special Issue can help to improve this conservation topic, paying attention to the ecological, and in particular the botanical, approaches applied to the conservation and valorization of historical and natural cultural heritage. This aspect often is treated separately and in a dispersive way; instead, this Special Issue will represent one collection that is easy to find and to consult, which could become a point of reference in the future.

Dr. Flavia Bartoli
Ms. Seyedh Zohreh Hosseini
Dr. Emanuela Cicinelli
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • archaeological site
  • cultural landscape
  • archaeobotany
  • paleobotany
  • iconography
  • biodeterioration
  • ruderal vegetation
  • natural monument
  • preventive conservation
  • wall flora

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Substrate Preferences of Ruderal Plants in Colonizing Stone Monuments of the Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Iran
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9381; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169381 - 20 Aug 2021
Viewed by 310
Abstract
Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeological sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant [...] Read more.
Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeological sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant establishment, is an underestimated topic. Here, we aim to identify the substrate preference of plants in colonizing stone surfaces as a first step in evaluating the biodeterioration risk. We selected the Pasargadae World Heritage Site (WHS) for its variety of different conditions, and we assessed the substrate preference of 142 ruderal plants occurring on nine monuments, two types of stones, and eight microsites. Our data indicated that stone typology and microsite conditions affected species composition, diversity, and richness. The porosity of the different limestone and the progressive weathering phenomena resulted as relevant factors in plant colonization. Significantly, microsites as a junction of two stone blocks (M1a) and big fractures covered by soil (M3) hosted the most favorable conditions, which needed periodic monitoring during the maintenance activities of the site. Evaluating the substrate preference of ruderal plants can contribute to the identification of the high-risk areas for plant colonization, which need to be considered in the management plans of archaeological sites. Full article
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