Special Issue "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Forest Ecosystems"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eve Bohnett
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
Interests: biodiversity conservation; landscape ecology; community ecology; statistical analysis; conservation planning; network science; sustainable development
Prof. Li An
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
Interests: data science; applied spatial statistics; artificial intelligence; applications in landscape ecology and complex human–environment systems.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest ecosystems play iconic roles in biodiversity conservation, harboring invaluable terrestrial biodiversity while providing and regulating important ecosystem services such as water supply, carbon sequestration, and vegetation for human consumption needs. Deforestation and forest degradation show alarming rates globally despite efforts to change local and regional sustainable forest management to curb carbon emissions and regulate local timber harvests. Global initiatives prioritize both biodiversity and ecosystem services for supporting policy decisions about forest ecosystems. However, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services tend to harbor trade-offs and synergies that vary spatially, economically, and politically, further complicating the ability to enact comprehensive interventions for landscapes undergoing anthropogenic conversions. There are ongoing and pressing needs for local and regional assessments that can plan jointly for ecosystem services and diversity to achieve both targets.

This Special Issue of Sustainability is focused on examining the synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and ecosystem services for forest ecosystems across a spectrum of socio-ecological systems. In recent years, there a better capacity to improve our understanding of ecosystem services and biodiversity as a coupled human–natural system has existed.  Research articles may focus on integrating research between forest biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provisioning, including metrics/methods for quantifying biodiversity or ecosystem services; mapping biodiversity or ecosystem services, numeric models for biodiversity, or ecosystem service changes; linking biodiversity, ecosystem services, and humans; understanding spatial relationships; examining alternative futures, and recognizing the interplay between policy scopes and policy mixes. 

Dr. Eve Bohnett
Prof. Li An
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 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

  • forest ecosystems
  • terrestrial biodiversity
  • ecosystem services

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

Review
Paradox of Deadwood Circular Bioeconomy in Kenya’s Public Forests
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137051 - 23 Jun 2021
Viewed by 327
Abstract
With the rising demand for energy, the forest-based circular bioeconomy is gaining recognition as a strategy for sustainable production and consumption of forest resources. However, the forest-based bioeconomy remains underexplored from the perspective of deadwood conservation in public forests. While conducting a literature [...] Read more.
With the rising demand for energy, the forest-based circular bioeconomy is gaining recognition as a strategy for sustainable production and consumption of forest resources. However, the forest-based bioeconomy remains underexplored from the perspective of deadwood conservation in public forests. While conducting a literature review and examining the case of Kenya, this study fills a gap in the literature to provide policy suggestions for sustainable forest resource utilization. The results from global literature indicate that deadwood performs essential social, economic, and environmental functions in the circular bioeconomy and sustainable development. Similarly, in Kenya, deadwood resources provide many socially beneficial bioproducts and services. However, the absence of scientific research and detailed guidelines for deadwood conservation may lead to the distortion of the ecological balance in public forests because of the legally sanctioned removal of deadwood, particularly firewood. Moreover, if the status quo remains, with approximately 70% of the growing population consuming deadwood for domestic use and the demand increasing, as shown by the current wood deficit in the country, there will be a major dilemma concerning whether to conserve deadwood for biodiversity or energy. Therefore, averting crisis and providing maximum deadwood value to society requires guidelines and comprehensive research in addition to a cultural and behavioral shift in energy consumption in a manner that embraces the forest-based circular bioeconomy of deadwood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Forest Ecosystems)
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