Lichens as Bioindicators of Ecosystem Health, Environmental Monitoring, and Sustainable Biotechnology
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2027 | Viewed by 60
Special Issue Editors
Interests: lichen secondary metabolism; lichen as an environmental bioindicator and for monitoring; lichen biotechnology
Interests: lichen identification; taxonomy and systematics; lichen chemistry; lichen as environmental bioindicator and monitoring; lichen biotechnology
Interests: extraction and purification of bioactive substances from lichens; environmental biomonitoring using lichens; biotechnological applications of lichen substances
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Lichens and their substances exert a broad spectrum of activities, with uses ranging from medicinal and cosmetic applications to environmental biomonitoring, soil bioremediation, and other biotechnological applications. The main problem is the low growth rate of these organisms, whose intensive use and collection, as well as human actions such as urban expansion and air pollution, can lead to the disappearance of key species.
In this context, this Special Issue will represent a resource for the scientific community, showcasing work that advances existing lichen studies, focusing on the gap between the current literature and new approaches to relevant topics.
Contributions can cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
(i) The potential of lichens as bioindicators and biomonitors of environmental health;
(ii) The ability of lichens to withstand (or not) any human intervention capable of destroying lichen biota resilience;
(iii) Lichen and climate change or global warming;
(iii) Biotechnological strategies for the maintenance of lichen biodiversity;
(iv) Rational use and application of bioactive lichen metabolites;
(v) Public policies for environmental conservation and/or preservation or socioeconomic impacts based on lichen occurrence;
(vi) Lichen conservation based on environmental education for children and teenagers in primary and secondary stages.
Articles covering these topics will contribute to the sustainability of ecosystems and the conservation of lichen biota and will add to the body of knowledge published in Sustainability. This is a multidisciplinary proposal for contributions from scientists worldwide, intended to fill gaps across the mentioned subjects and to overcome challenges of the 21st century, such as population growth, the destruction of natural ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, climate change, and global warming.
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Cristina Gonçalves Pereira
Dr. Maria de Lourdes Lacerda Buril
Dr. Mônica Cristina Barroso Martins
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- bioindicators and biomonitors
- environmental conservation
- protected areas
- public policies
- lichen biota
- lichen bioactive metabolites
- lichen biotechnology
- environmental education
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