Special Issue "Landscape Ecology and Sustainability—the Interface between Natural Landscape Values and Society"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2022.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Axel Schwerk
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Landscape Art, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: landscape and population ecology; ecological succession; renaturation of degraded areas; biodiversity conservation; sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Landscape ecology deals with the study and improvement of relationships between spatial patterns, ecological processes, and species communities and assemblages on different scales and organizational levels. The character of a landscape is the result of interactions between natural and human factors. On the one hand, landscape and its natural values have an impact on the wellbeing of human society, while on the other hand, human activities constantly change the landscape values. Some of the most valued landscapes are the result of use by humans over many centuries.

Hence, sustainable landscape management needs to take into account both natural processes and values of the landscape and the human impact, to connect landscape ecology with studies on society. Understanding the interface between natural landscape values and society is an essential issue. The proposed Special Issue aims at addressing research directed toward this interface. Such research may concern the impact of natural landscape values on the society, traditional use of landscape, and their consequences or strategies of active landscape management. There is also room for case studies and studies focusing on modeling.

By highlighting studies on such a topic, this Special Issue will be a valuable compilation for researchers from different scientific disciplines but being interested in the subject area of ecology and sustainability of landscapes.

Contributions to this Special Issue will include, but not be limited to, the following topics:

  • Analyses of the perception of natural landscape values by humans;
  • Landscape management toward conservation of biological diversity;
  • Studies on indicators of natural landscape values;
  • Agriculture and forestry practices in the context of landscape ecology;
  • Cultural landscape elements and landscape values;
  • Scientific background of landscape audits and legal aspects of landscape management;
  • Sustainable landscapes and quality of life;
  • Modeling of ecology and sustainability of landscapes, including studies on landscape resilience.

Prof. Dr. Axel Schwerk
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 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

  • natural landscape values
  • landscape management
  • biological diversity
  • cultural landscapes
  • society

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Strategic Pathways to Scale up Forest and Landscape Restoration: Insights from Nepal’s Tarai
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5237; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095237 - 07 May 2021
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Deforestation and forest degradation mostly caused by human interventions affect the capacity of the forest ecosystem to provide ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is an emerging concept that focuses on the improvement of the ecosystem as well as [...] Read more.
Deforestation and forest degradation mostly caused by human interventions affect the capacity of the forest ecosystem to provide ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is an emerging concept that focuses on the improvement of the ecosystem as well as the livelihood of the people at the landscape level. Nepal has successfully recovered degraded forest land mainly from the hilly region through forest restoration initiatives, especially community-based forestry. However, the Tarai region is still experiencing deforestation and forest degradation. This study navigated the gaps related to forest restoration in the existing policies and practices and revealed that the persistence of deforestation and forest degradation in Tarai is a result of a complex socioeconomic structure, the limitations of the government in implementing appropriate management modality, unplanned infrastructure, and urban development. We suggest that forest restoration should focus on ecological and social wellbeing pathways at the landscape level to reverse the trend of deforestation and forest degradation in the Tarai regions of Nepal. The study provides critical insight to the policymakers and practitioners of Nepal and other countries (with similar context) who are engaged in forest/ecosystem restoration enterprise. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Strategies to promote sustainable development: the gendered importance of addressing diminishing African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) resources in northern Ghana’s agro-ecological landscape
Authors: Margareta Amy Lelea, Araba Amo-Aidoo, Rashida Chantima Ziblila, Lara Elena Thiele, Lydia Madintin Konlan and Brigitte Kaufmann
Affiliation: German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL), Witzenhausen, Germany; Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany; Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany; Social Ecology of Tropical and Subtropical Land-Use Systems, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Abstract: As the topic of gender and forests gains international attention through programs related to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, we focus on a case study of the African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa), in the Savannah landscape of northern Ghana. Although this tree holds high cultural significance for Dagomba women, and also contains important micro-nutrients such as folate that are vital for healthy pregnancies, it is unfortunately becoming more scarce in our study area near Tamale in Ghana’s Northern Region. We investigate the reasons for this decline in relation to the agricultural, ecological and cultural landscape and discuss the gendered impacts of these changes. Research in these communities started in 2018 and is on-going in 2021 as part of a transdisciplinary action research approach to process underutilized species with women’s groups. The research started with a survey that included 27 women’s groups in 13 communities with 523 women participants. Out of a selected number of groups, our research team has worked more intensively with three women’s groups near Nyankpala which selected for their processing focus the African Locust Bean, known as dawadawa in the Dagbani language. More than 25 group sessions have been organized with these three groups related to issues surrounding the processing of the African Locust Bean from 2018 to present. Specifically on the topic of the decline of this tree, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted in August 2020 with 8 female farmers, 7 male farmers and 4 chiefs in the local governance system. Our results show the cultural significance of the African Locust Bean for women in the Dagomba cultural as well as practical uses of all parts of the tree, and specifically the seeds which are used for making a fermented condiment to flavor foods and also as a tea. Although the seeds of the African Locust Bean are considered a women’s crop, their access to this tree is mediated by the local chiefs and often male land-users. The majority of farmers interviewed reported a reduction of trees in their fields. The reasons for the decrease can be summarized in six different categories, 1) aging tree populations, 2) agricultural changes with increased mechanization and pesticide use, 3) over-use as a firewood resource, 4) usufruct rights between traditional chiefs, male land owners and women who should be granted access to the trees according to Dagomba cultural values, 5) challenge caring for saplings until maturity, 6) reduced water availability influences the yield of seeds. In conclusion, there is an urgent need for action to protect and restore the African Locust Bean within the northern region’s Savannah landscape to ensure continued access and benefits of the tree to women in the region.

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