Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation in High-Altitude Freshwater Systems
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 47
Special Issue Editors
Interests: freshwater ecology; environmental data science; macroinvertebrates; headwaters; water quality assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: freshwater ecological modelling; integrated water quality modelling; wastewater enginnering; water quality assessment; greenhouse gases emissions from aquatic ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
High-altitude freshwater systems are unique ecosystems that are often difficult to reach and affect the water quality and quantity of downstream areas significantly. Due to their combined remoteness and exposure to high-altitude climatic conditions, inimitable biological communities have developed and support a variety of complex interactions. By monitoring and assessing these communities, valuable information can be obtained on both the habitat preference of rare species and the value and equivalence of the prevailing interactions.
Unfortunately, these unique aquatic systems are not immune to the global and local changes that continue to impact various low-altitude freshwater systems. The alterations in the abiotic conditions caused by climate change also affect the biotic community, while shifts in land use modify the water–land interaction through increased inputs of sediments and a wide range of chemicals. As these changes are expected to continue in the future, it is clear that further study and conservation of these high-altitude freshwater systems is essential to the management of our valuable freshwater resources.
This special issue aims to seek contributions reporting on the biodiversity of high-altitude freshwater systems in both developed and developing regions, including recommendations on how to manage and/or conserve the considered system sustainably. By doing so, the Special Issue contributes to identifying the current state of freshwater systems at high altitudes, while presenting ideas and solutions to managers facing similar issues and pointing out knowledge gaps that require further research.
Dr. Wout Van Echelpoel
Guest Editor
Dr. Rubén Jerves-Cobo
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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
- freshwater
- community
- high altitude
- assessment
- management
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