Implementing Methods for Identifying Drivers of Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change with Computational (Objective) and Participatory Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, landscape changes have intensified due to strong socio-economic transformations, including changes in agriculture, forestry, industry, and transport. Traditional agricultural landscapes, urban and industrial landscapes, as well as those with high levels of tourism, have undergone significant transformations. Therefore, the knowledge of landscape change and ecosystem services needs to be enhanced. In this regard, more attention is being paid to new methods with computational (objective) and participatory approaches that allow the forces driving noticeable changes in the landscape to be identified and assessed. This identification of driving forces is significant for determining the direction of further transformations and assessing ecosystem services changes.

Researchers agree that combining both objective and participatory methods is advisable in landscape assessment. We state that a similar approach should be developed for landscape change assessment. Landscape changes may influence a person’s perception of and relationship to a particular place. Landscape changes might be perceived differently; inhabitants of a certain area might view landscape changes as disruptive, whereas others might deem them necessary. Therefore, it is important to understand how landscape change is perceived within a context-sensitive manner and how it influences people–place relationships. We need to enhance our knowledge about landscape change perception to build social agreement towards planned changes (e.g., new development) and strategies for changes that we might expect (e.g., climate changes) or effective renovation plans after unplanned changes (e.g., natural disasters).

Lately, the need to develop research methods for identifying and assessing landscape services, defined as goods and services provided by the landscape to society, is also being discussed. The concept of ecosystem services has become highly recognized in the literature as useful to assess the ecosystem potential, but there is still a need to develop new approaches to account for changes in the ecosystem services provided. Understanding the phenomenon that lies behind a specific type of landscape transformation as well as ecosystem and landscape services change is crucial in the context of sustainable landscape planning and management.

This Special Issue is focused on multidisciplinary approaches and methods of landscape change, ecosystems and landscape services analyses, as well as a participatory approach towards landscape change that can be used for sustainable landscape planning and management. Relevant topics include but are not limited to both original research and reviews. Papers should provide the best examples of landscape change analysis and its driving forces as well as the identification, mapping, and valuation of landscape services or ecosystem services from a landscape perspective. Papers related to landscape and ecosystem sensitivity and capacity as well as landscape history and cultural heritage transformations are invited. Research including public participation, PPGIS methods in landscape analysis and landscape protection are consistent with the theme of the Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Piotr Krajewski
Dr. Iga Solecka
Dr. Marta Sylla
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.

• geospatial analysis of landscape change
• driving forces of landscape change
• monitoring of landscape change
• citizens perception towards planned and unplanned landscape change
• identification and assessment of landscape services
• mapping ecosystem services in landscape perspective
• landscape perspective to ecosystem service assessment
• accounting for ecosystem service in landscape management
• assessment of land use/land cover change
• landscape sensitivity and capacity
• landscape dynamics
• public participation in landscape planning and management
• sustainable landscape planning and management
• landscape history