Protection and Restoration of Freshwater Ecosystems
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: 25 January 2026 | Viewed by 1433
Special Issue Editor
Interests: conservation biology; conservation genetics; restoration of freshwater habitats; ichthyology; ecological status of freshwater systems; extinction risk estimation; practical conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Even though no ecosystem in the world was spared from anthropogenic impacts, particularly strong negative consequences of various human activities are reported in the freshwater habitats. Through the greatest parts of the human history, these impacts were negligible and the highest amount of respect was shown to freshwater systems and the biodiversity comprised within them. However, in the past decades and centuries, an opinion that freshwater systems serve as an infinite source of water, food, energy etc. and unsustainable exploitation of freshwater ecosystems led to their destruction on many places and high endangerment of the life harboured within them. Degradation and fragmentation of freshwater habitats by building hydropower facilities, various obstacles, constructions on river banks and beds, extraction of water, extraction of sand and other materials from river beds, together with introductions of non-native species and various types of pollution, all are significantly and profoundly altering habitat conditions, but also native communities in freshwater ecosystems to the extent that ecosystem functions and services become disrupted at many localities, water quality and ecological state of rivers and lakes significantly reduced and many native species already displaced/impacted. In order to reverse this negative trend and reduce these problematic effects on the freshwater environments, many initiatives were formed on both, international and national levels, aiming at protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems, in order to prevent local extinctions, stop introductions of the non-native species, restore and maintain natural habitat conditions, regenerate river connectivity and assure maintenance of the ecosystem services provided by freshwater ecosystems. In order to expand knowledge and exchange experiences on the methodologies used for protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems, this special issue will serve as a platform for publication of high-quality papers focusing on threats on various types of freshwater habitats, as well as experiences in mitigating their negative effects and restoring native conditions of their habitats and protecting biodiversity harboured within them.
Problems posed by significant anthropogenic impacts to freshwater environments are high and widespred, but also solutions are being invented and implemented worldwide thanks to strong and ambitious efforts of individual research centres, conservational practiotioners, but also many national and international initiatives. We invite you to submit manuscript comprising results of your research and conservational practices that focus on identifying problems and implementing solutions in protectiong and restoring various types of freshwater ecosystems on all levels to this special issue, that is aimed to serve as a platform for widening experiences and exchanging ideas in mitigation of negative effects of different threats to freshwater ecosystems, as well as protecting biodiversity harbored within them.
Dr. Ivana Buj
Guest Editor
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 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. Water 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 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
- conservation activities
- ecological restoration
- ecological state
- extinction risk
- freshwater environments
- protection of biodiversity
- threats to freshwater environments
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