Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Livelihoods in Vulnerable and Degraded Regions

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, approximately 25% of the total land area has been degraded, which affects around 3.2 billion people, primarily rural communities, smallholder farmers and the very poor. Many restoration initiatives, such as the Chinese Grain for Green projects, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), EU Biodiversity Strategy (2011–2020) and others, have been launched in recent decades with the aim of improving ecosystem service and sustainable livelihoods. With the intensive cooperation of governments, scientists and NGOs, the Earth has become greener according to the newest data released from NASA satellites. Restoration initiatives not only return ‘natural capital’ but also contribute to social, financial, and human capital, including through the creation of jobs, thriving environments, and harmonious communities. In turn, residents’ livelihoods (lifestyle, farming, source of income) are affected by the involved restoration project. Unexpected results and income fluctuations may threaten poverty alleviation and the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities. We aim to summarize the current achievements, measures, methods, technology and policies of each restoration case around the globe. In doing so, our hope is to find a global solution for guiding the next stage of restoration through individual cases.

For this Special Issue, we invite research contributions involving analysis and empirical work on farmers’ livelihoods, poverty alleviation and sustainable development in vulnerable or degraded regions. We also encourage empirical research of the achievements, measures, technology and policies of each restoration case around the globe. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas covered in these submissions may include (but are not limited to) the following: ecological restoration, Grain for Green, sustainable livelihoods, land degradation, poverty alleviation, human–natural interlaced zones, smallholder farmers and rural development.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Liangxin Fan
Prof. Dr. Xiaoshu Cao
Prof. Dr. Xiaohu Dang
Dr. Lie Xiao
Guest Editors

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