Integrating AI and Spatial Technologies for Forest Plant Inventories and Evolutionary Research in Biodiversity Hotspots to Support SDGs

Dear Colleagues,

Forest ecosystems in biodiversity hotspots are important reservoirs of world plant diversity, but they are under unprecedented pressure from habitat fragmentation, climate change, and human disturbances. Yet, despite their ecological importance, many forest plant taxa remain poorly documented, and their evolutionary paths under changing environmental conditions are not entirely known. Consequently, this Special Issue seeks to fill these gaps by emphasizing novel approaches that integrate advanced inventory techniques with evolutionary research to improve conservation and sustainable management.

We welcome, therefore, submissions that use spatial technologies (e.g., remote sensing, GIS, and modeling), artificial intelligence-driven identification and monitoring, and molecular taxonomy to improve the accuracy and efficiency of forest plant inventories. Studies that investigate disturbance dynamics—such as land use change, forest degradation, and climate-induced stressors, as well as their impact on plant diversity and evolutionary processes—are especially welcomed. This Special Issue aims to give actionable insights for biodiversity conservation strategies that are linked with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by combining field-based observations with computational modeling and big data analytics.

Topics of interest include the following:

• Assessment and validation of accuracy in AI-driven methods for forest biodiversity monitoring.
• Advanced methodologies for plant inventory and monitoring in biodiversity hotspots.
• Phylogenetic and genomic approaches to understanding evolutionary responses to disturbance.
• AI-assisted classification and predictive modeling for forest biodiversity.
• Linking inventory and evolutionary research to conservation planning and SDG indicators.

Through this focused theme, we aim to foster interdisciplinary research that bridges technology, ecology, and policy, ultimately contributing to the resilience and sustainability of forest ecosystems worldwide.

Dr. Heba Bedair
Dr. Youssef M. Youssef
Dr. Tawanda W. Gara
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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