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Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 14242

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Guest Editor
Department of Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Palacky University Olomouc, 17th Listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Interests: applying of landscape ecological principles to forest biodiversity conservation; floodplain forest ecology and sustainable management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biocultural diversity is a novel concept emerging in environmental and sustainability science. This concept is based on the assessment of human–nature interrelations in cultural landscapes. The methodology of biocultural diversity concept uses various multidisciplinary approaches in studies on joining heritage and nature. Better understanding human–nature interrelations on local and regional level supports the sustainable management of cultural landscapes and nature and heritage conservation. The concept also includes issues related to cultural and historical heritage conservation and management, because it determines traditional cultural landscapes worldwide. Natural and human-made ecosystems with high cultural value (such as historical gardens and parks), as well as natural structures in landscape, such as ancient forests and veteran trees, can be incorporated to the term of biocultural diversity (BD). The concept of BD builds awareness of the role of humans as a key biological species in the biosphere. This global role of humans in BD is closely connected to our responsibility to our world. We need more knowledge about BD concept theory and applications to develop strategies for sustainable landscape management aimed at the conservation of cultural heritage and biodiversity in different geographical spaces.

Prof. Dr. Ivo Machar
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Ancient forests
  • Biodiversity and geodiversity
  • Biodiversity and people
  • Biocultural diversity
  • Ecological networks in a cultural landscape
  • Conservation management—a tool for biodiversity maintaining Countryside—areas for the meeting of people and nature
  • Cultural ecosystem services
  • Cultural landscape
  • Geoheritage assessment and conservation on local and regional level
  • Green urban areas
  • Heritage conservation
  • Historical parks and gardens
  • Human–nature interrelations
  • Joining of historical heritage and nature
  • Landscape sustainable management
  • Landscape scenery
  • Land-use changes
  • Lessons from history for future of landscape
  • Human-made ecosystems
  • Nature in cities
  • Open-air museums
  • Protected areas and people
  • Historical monuments and ruins as habitats
  • Stewardship in cities
  • Traditional land use in different landscapes
  • Trees as living symbols of historical or cultural event
  • Veteran trees

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2711 KiB  
Article
Ethnobotany of the Useful Native Species in Linares, Nuevo León, México
by Eduardo Estrada-Castillón, José Ángel Villarreal-Quintanilla, Arturo Mora-Olivo, Gerardo Cuéllar-Rodríguez, Jaime Sánchez-Salas, Tania Vianney Gutiérrez-Santillán, Renata Valdes Alameda, Diego Axayacatl González-Cuéllar, Cristina González-Montelongo and José Ramón Arévalo Sierra
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11565; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511565 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1503
Abstract
In Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico, there is no record of the total number of species or the uses that people make of native plants. The purpose of this study was to know the species and their uses in the municipality of Linares, Nuevo [...] Read more.
In Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico, there is no record of the total number of species or the uses that people make of native plants. The purpose of this study was to know the species and their uses in the municipality of Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico. Based on 180 semi-structured interviews, collection, identification, and storage of botanical specimens, the regional ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed. The ethnobotanical information and significant use of plants in Linares was studied. To identify the cultural importance of the ethnobotanical uses of the plants, three indices were calculated: the Use Value Index (UVI), the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and the Fidelity Level (FL). We recorded 59 plant families, 151 genera, and 152 species. The families with the largest number of genera and species with uses registered are Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Cactaceae, Araceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The most common uses recorded are ornamental, medicinal, food, and forage. The highest values for ICF were for the circulatory, endocrine, and digestive systems. At least 20 species had 100% FL index values. The species with the highest UVI values were Equisetum laevigatum, Persea ameriana, Amaranthus palmeri, Lophophora williamsii, and Artemisia ludoviciana. A wide use of native flora is recognized in Linares, Nuevo León, which directly influences the livelihood of people in the area. Full article
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23 pages, 6568 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Biocultural Diversity of Wild Urban Woodland through Research-Based Architectural Design: Case Study—War Island in Belgrade, Serbia
by Ana Nikezić
Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11445; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811445 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
In the vortex of the environmental and ecological crises, it is clear that the cosmopolitan way of living is facing uncertainty with no easing in sight. Looking beyond the horizon at what the aftermath will yield, it is quite clear that the meaning [...] Read more.
In the vortex of the environmental and ecological crises, it is clear that the cosmopolitan way of living is facing uncertainty with no easing in sight. Looking beyond the horizon at what the aftermath will yield, it is quite clear that the meaning of urbanity has to be transformed; the urban life has to support social and ecological well-being, and the city has to intertwine more closely with nature. Therefore, wild urban woodlands (WUWs), often morphologically exclusive, culturally contradictory, and biologically heterogeneous, are recognized together with the other informal wilderness of the city as catalyzers of a newly constructed identity and the first line of defense when the question of the socio-ecological resilience of the city is raised. The present study focuses on how the biocultural diversity of WUWs can be stimulated by architecture and on which principles and restorative components an architectural design should stand on. Taking War Island on the river Danube, in the very heart of Belgrade, Serbia, as the particular case study, a specific assignment was given to students of the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade to affirm, recuperate, and stipulate the relationship between the nature and the culture of the site. On the threshold of interdisciplinarity, a net of coordinated values is set up based on a theoretical, analytic, and typo-morphological approach, gathering the eco-cultural aspects, components, and characteristics of the place. On the bases of the students’ research-based design propositions, the results show different design paths promoting accessibility and security, restoring social responsibility and awareness, and regaining the socio-ecological well-being of the place. The conclusions drawn from the study open the perspective of the alliance between nature and culture through an architectural infrastructure that heals the landscape and induces its therapeutic properties, enhancing the biocultural diversity of the place and proclaiming a kind of hedonistic sustainability for the future life of cities. Full article
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14 pages, 2532 KiB  
Communication
Geodiversity Action Plans as a Tool for Developing Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Education
by Lucie Kubalíková, Aleš Bajer, Marie Balková, Karel Kirchner and Ivo Machar
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6043; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106043 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2107
Abstract
A complex approach to geodiversity and landscape in order to foster geoconservation and develop geotourism and geoeducation is usually more effective than isolated protection and promotion of geoheritage sites without wider context. A Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) represents a reasonable tool for how [...] Read more.
A complex approach to geodiversity and landscape in order to foster geoconservation and develop geotourism and geoeducation is usually more effective than isolated protection and promotion of geoheritage sites without wider context. A Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) represents a reasonable tool for how to follow these goals in cooperation with local stakeholders. This specific document is not focused only on an inventory of sites of Earth science interest in an area, but encompasses all geodiversity (geological, geomorphological, soil and hydrological features, processes, systems and relationships). As geoconservation often goes hand in hand with education, sustainable tourism and promotion, the GAP includes practical proposals for management and rational use of the area’s geodiversity and geoheritage. This complex approach is needed as it provides a complement to the site-oriented protection or management and, moreover, it can be perceived as coherent with a geoethical approach. The paper presents a case study from Moravian-Slovak border (a central part of Bílé Karpaty/Biele Karpaty Mountains) where the proposal for GAP (including inventory, assessment and management measures) was elaborated together with local authorities, schools and other stakeholders. Full article
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11 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
The Role and Practice of Geodiversity in Serving Ecosystems in China
by Yun Yu and Jianfeng Yang
Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4547; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084547 - 11 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1535
Abstract
This paper demonstrates how geodiversity interconnects with the particular ecosystems and practices within China. As an essential component of natural diversity, geodiversity can provide the necessary services and products to ecosystems and humans. In current Chinese research, theories and methods of geodiversity in [...] Read more.
This paper demonstrates how geodiversity interconnects with the particular ecosystems and practices within China. As an essential component of natural diversity, geodiversity can provide the necessary services and products to ecosystems and humans. In current Chinese research, theories and methods of geodiversity in China are relatively lacking. We use the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment classification as a basis for four categories: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. In so doing we present the products and services associated with geodiversity in China. In practice, we found that China, especially in light of its geological survey, already has a working basis for maintaining and enhancing the quality of its geodiversity and geosystem. To better advance the theory and practice of geodiversity in China, we suggest making geodiversity and biodiversity the object of geological surveys to understand its natural processes and distribution. This will ensure that nature as a whole can be appropriately managed and protected, that geodiversity indicators in ecosystem assessments can be clarified, and that equally essential elements of nature policy to promote geodiversity and biodiversity can be added. Full article
15 pages, 1713 KiB  
Article
Restoring Natural Forests as the Most Efficient Way to Water Quality and Abundance: Case Study from Želivka River Basin
by Josef Seják, Ivo Machar, Jan Pokorný, Karl Seeley and Jitka Elznicová
Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020814 - 12 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1739
Abstract
This article shows how to restore Central European natural capital effectively. Water in the landscape is primarily sustained by vegetation and soil, most effectively by natural forests and only secondarily by artificial reservoirs. The authors document these facts using a case study from [...] Read more.
This article shows how to restore Central European natural capital effectively. Water in the landscape is primarily sustained by vegetation and soil, most effectively by natural forests and only secondarily by artificial reservoirs. The authors document these facts using a case study from the Želivka River basin (Švihov reservoir), which collects surface water for the metropolitan region of Prague and Central Bohemia. With the Energy-Water-Vegetation Method, the authors demonstrate that the cultural human-changed landscape of the Želivka river basin is able to utilize only about 60% of its solar energy potential. In 1.5% of the territory of the Czech Republic, society annually loses supporting ecosystem services at a level higher than 25% of the annual GDP of the CR 2015. Water retention in the landscape needs to be re-evaluated and addressed in accordance with the thermodynamic principles of life and ecosystem functioning in the biosphere. It is necessary to begin restoring the most efficient natural capital in the landscapes and to return the broad-leaved deciduous forests by intelligent forestation methods to the cultural landscape to the extent justified; this is especially true of the Želivka River basin, which is Czechia’s biggest surface drinking-water collecting area. Full article
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Review

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13 pages, 7213 KiB  
Review
Proposing a New Methodology for Monument Conservation “SCOPE MANAGEMENT” by the Use of an Analytic Hierarchy Process Project Management Institute System and the ICOMOS Burra Charter
by Nina Almasifar, Tülay Özdemir Canbolat, Milad Akhavan and Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano
Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13174; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313174 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4354
Abstract
Managing the scope of the “Properties” and “Performances” domains plays a fundamental role in the scheduling and controlling of the wide variety of variables and processes involved in any project, for the purpose of increasing the quality of outputs, which leads to time [...] Read more.
Managing the scope of the “Properties” and “Performances” domains plays a fundamental role in the scheduling and controlling of the wide variety of variables and processes involved in any project, for the purpose of increasing the quality of outputs, which leads to time and budget-saving. Notably, in monument conservation projects, “scope management” is a vital factor targeted at maintaining historical parameter values and accuracy in the number of interferences and occupations on sites. Nowadays, as urbanization speeds up unprecedently, the territories of these heritage sites have been demolished or have lost their place on the World Heritage List. Undoubtedly, the existence of such critical conditions makes it increasingly necessary to apply scope management methods to preserve such archaeological and historic sites across the world. The purpose of this article is to propose a “Comprehensive and Regular Systematic Schedule” for the purpose of monument conservation via the use of scope management, based on the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)—specifically the Burra Charter (1981). The results of this research include hierarchical levels of management processes which consider all the effective variables, both the tangible and intangible elements (independent factors) and the other weaknesses and opportunities of the project in order to determine the scope of the required operations, which must be scheduled based on historical sites’ conservation charters. In this way, in addition to reviving a cultural landscape’s (cultural heritage or site) essential and valuable parts, unnecessary changes can be avoided. Full article
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