sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Geographical Information System for Sustainable Ecology

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 September 2025 | Viewed by 1488

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
Interests: earth system model; GIS; hydrology; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, School of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Interests: remote sensing information intelligent extraction and modeling; spatial analysis and cartography; ecosystem services and sustainable development; water use effi-ciency; climate change and hydrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
Interests: GIS/RS; spatial analysis; satellite image analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “Geographical Information System for Sustainable Ecology”, encompasses the application of GIS technology for enhancing ecological sustainability. Its scope includes the use of GISs for environmental monitoring, habitat management, and conservation planning. The purpose is to explore how GISs can support sustainable ecological practices by providing spatial analysis, mapping, and data integration capabilities that aid in understanding and managing natural resources.

This Special Issue centers on the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GISs) in promoting sustainable ecological practices. It highlights how GISs can enhance the understanding, management, and conservation of natural environments. The focus includes the application of GISs for spatial analysis, environmental monitoring, habitat management, and supporting ecological sustainability. The scope covers a wide range of GIS applications relevant to ecological sustainability. This includes spatial data collection and analysis for environmental monitoring, GIS-based habitat and species management, evaluation of ecological impacts and risk assessments, as well as the integration of GISs with other technologies for enhanced environmental management. The purpose of this Special Issue is to showcase how GIS technology can be leveraged to support and advance sustainable ecological practices. It will complement the existing literature by introducing new applications, providing detailed case studies, and highlighting interdisciplinary approaches.

Dr. Yuanzhi Yao
Dr. Xiaoai Dai
Dr. Xue Liu
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

  • geographical information systems (GISs)
  • sustainable ecology
  • environmental monitoring
  • spatial analysis
  • habitat management
  • resource management

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 7734 KiB  
Article
Evolution Characteristics of Water Use Efficiency and the Impact of Its Driving Factors on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau in China
by Pei Wang, Xuepeng Zhang, Yang Liu and Wei Nie
Sustainability 2024, 16(24), 11163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411163 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 856
Abstract
Water use efficiency (WUE) of ecosystems plays a crucial role in balancing carbon storage and water consumption. The Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, a karst landscape region with relatively fragile ecosystems in China, requires a better understanding of the evolution of WUE and the factors driving [...] Read more.
Water use efficiency (WUE) of ecosystems plays a crucial role in balancing carbon storage and water consumption. The Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, a karst landscape region with relatively fragile ecosystems in China, requires a better understanding of the evolution of WUE and the factors driving it for the region’s ecological sustainability. This study employs Theil–Sen slope estimation and Mann–Kendall significance analysis to investigate the temporal trends and spatial patterns of WUE in the study area. Additionally, a machine learning model, XGBoost, is used to establish driving relationships, and the SHAP model is applied to interpret the importance of the driving factors and their specific relationship with WUE. The results show that (1) WUE exhibits an increasing trend, with a slope of 0.002, indicating improved water absorption and utilization capacity of vegetation in the region. (2) The spatial distribution of WUE follows a “high–low–high” pattern from southwest to northeast, with 6.68% of the area showing a significant increase, 50.80% showing a weak increase, 4.60% showing a significant decrease, and 37.92% showing a weak decrease. (3) The importance of the driving factors is ranked as follows: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), maximum temperature (TMAX), shortwave radiation (SRAD), Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and precipitation (PRE). The NDVI has a linear positive relationship with WUE; SRAD has a decreasing effect on WUE, with this effect weakening at higher values; and TMAX, PRE, the PDSI, and VPD show a non-monotonic relationship with WUE, increasing and then decreasing. The findings of this study are significant for ecological civilization construction and sustainable development in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geographical Information System for Sustainable Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop