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Sustainability
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Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management
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Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 November 2025 | Viewed by 3958

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dan Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: water resources management; ecosystem services valuation; ecological economics related to water; irrigation planning and management; soil and water conservation
Dr. Qiong Yue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: water–energy–food nexus; multi-objective modelling; water resource allocation; decision-making; uncertaintyrigation planning management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhaohui Luo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: environmental engineering and management; water ecological restoration; water quality monitoring, assessment and management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The preservation and management of ecosystems are essential for ensuring the sustainability of water resources. Meanwhile, water resource utilization, management, and protection play a vital role in sustaining ecosystem services. Integrating ecosystem services into water resources management can considerably enhance conventional practices. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on "Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management".

However, integrating ecosystem services into water resources management poses complex interdisciplinary challenges spanning natural sciences and humanities. It also encompasses principles, theories, methods, technologies, policies, practices, and various other aspects. We welcome experts and researchers to contribute original research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all topics related to water resources management from an ecosystem services perspective. The inherent natural, environmental, social, and economic aspects related to this Special Issue are also highly encouraged to be focused on.

We place special emphasis on, but this is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Identifying research gaps in sustainable ecosystem services and water resources management;
  • Innovative indicators, methods, and tools for characterization and quantification of water-related ecosystem services;
  • Synergies, tradeoffs, and interactions among multiple ecosystem services in water systems;
  • Nature-based water resources management solutions in diverse ecosystems;
  • Water–energy–food–ecosystems nexus for sustainability;
  • Theory and practice of hydrodynamic reconstruction and water ecological restoration for sustainable ecosystem services;
  • Case studies and interdisciplinary approaches.

To enhance social–ecological resilience under our complex and changing environment, we eagerly anticipate receiving your valuable contributions to this Special Issue on sustainable ecosystem services and water resources management.

Prof. Dr. Dan Chen
Dr. Qiong Yue
Dr. Zhaohui Luo
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

  • ecosystem services
  • water resources management
  • ecosystems
  • sustainability
  • water issues and solutions
  • NEXUS
  • ecological restoration

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3735 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Management Effectiveness of an Outstanding Marine Protected Area in Southwest Coast of Türkiye: On the Road to 30 by 30
by Funda Kok and Goknur Sisman-Aydin
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1905; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051905 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 659
Abstract
The global increase in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is driven by international goals, like the Aichi Targets (2010) and the Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework (2023), which aim for 30% of land and sea to be protected by 2030. Despite these ambitious targets, experts [...] Read more.
The global increase in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is driven by international goals, like the Aichi Targets (2010) and the Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework (2023), which aim for 30% of land and sea to be protected by 2030. Despite these ambitious targets, experts agree that numerical goals alone are insufficient to address biodiversity loss and ensure ecosystem functionality. This has sparked significant research on the effective management of MPAs, highlighting the importance of biological, socio-economic, and managerial resilience. Various tools have been developed to support these aspects. However, even in areas with management plans, enforcement, and monitoring, stakeholder involvement in assessment processes is vital to equitable and sustainable management. Using Gökova MPA as a case study, this research evaluated its management over a three-year period by applying an assessment tool previously used by co-managing actors. Findings indicate that assessment results can vary depending on who conducts them, and structural challenges, such as coordination issues among governing bodies and overlapping authorities, further complicate management. These insights have been used to formulate recommendations for policymakers and conservation practitioners, emphasizing that reaching the “30 by 30” target requires not only increased area coverage but also improved management practices that incorporate stakeholder perspectives to achieve sustainable management of natural resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management)
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22 pages, 11643 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Changes and Trade-Offs/Synergies of Waterfront Ecosystem Services Globally
by Yaomin Zheng, Huize Yang, Huixin Gong, Jinlian Shi, Yanhui Zhang, Jiaxin Wang, Xin Zhang, Ruifen Cheng and Yu Chen
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020472 - 9 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 661
Abstract
The types of ecosystem services are complex and diverse. This study estimated four ecosystem services, their trade-offs, and their synergistic outcomes in 2010, 2015, and 2020 using the InVEST model. Globally, results showed that waterfront ecosystem services are high (low) in the north [...] Read more.
The types of ecosystem services are complex and diverse. This study estimated four ecosystem services, their trade-offs, and their synergistic outcomes in 2010, 2015, and 2020 using the InVEST model. Globally, results showed that waterfront ecosystem services are high (low) in the north (south), and that high-value areas are mainly in Sweden and Finland in Europe; the Congo in Africa; Russia, Southwest China, and Indonesia in Asia; the Northwestern United States and Canada in North America, and northeastern Peru and northwestern Brazil in South America. Overall, ecosystem services changed little during 2010–2020. Additionally, a notable trade-off was found between water yield and habitat quality, and strong synergies were found between water yield and carbon storage and sequestration, water yield and sediment delivery ratio, carbon storage and sequestration and sediment delivery ratio, and carbon storage and habitat quality. The results of this study could help promote sustainable development of waterfronts globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management)
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22 pages, 7279 KiB  
Article
Landscape Ecological Security of the Lijiang River Basin in China: Spatiotemporal Evolution and Pattern Optimization
by Jinlong Hu, Guo Qing, Yingxue Wang, Sicheng Qiu and Nan Luo
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5777; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135777 - 6 Jul 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1913
Abstract
The ecological security of karst basins is receiving increased attention as a result of intense human activity and climate change. However, how ecological security evolves in spacetime and the optimization of ecological security patterns still remain unclear. This study developed a methodological framework [...] Read more.
The ecological security of karst basins is receiving increased attention as a result of intense human activity and climate change. However, how ecological security evolves in spacetime and the optimization of ecological security patterns still remain unclear. This study developed a methodological framework for evaluating ecological security and optimizing ecological security patterns of the Lijiang River Basin (LRB). The 3S technology was used to analyze the current status and evolution characteristics of landscape ecological security in the LRB from 1990 to 2020. This study identified and optimized ecological security patterns by adhering to the basic paradigm of “source identification–resistance surface construction–corridor extraction–node determination”. The results showed that the overall ecological security of the LRB was at a medium to high level, with an index showing an initial increase followed by a decrease. The LRB exhibited 24 ecological pinch points, 74 ecological corridors, 30 ecological sources, and 6 ecological barrier points. The predominant landscape types found within these pinch points and barrier points encompass forests, cultivated land, and urban areas. A scheme of “three cores, two belts, and six zones” was proposed to optimize the ecological security pattern of the LRB. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical references for the integrated management of the rivers, grasslands, farmlands, mountains, lakes, forests, and sands in the LRB, as well as for the ecological restoration of other regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecosystem Services and Water Resources Management)
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