Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2024 | Viewed by 341

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National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania
Interests: forest soils; land recovery; ecology of forest species
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific knowledge about the link between living and nonliving components within the environment, how these factors interact with each other, and how both natural and human-induced changes affect how they function is very important. In the case of landscape ecology, this applies to sustainability, conservation, management, and landscape planning. This knowledge is even more relevant and important at this moment due to the new issues and challenges we are facing: climate change, pollution, the diminishing or overexploitation of natural resources, scarce biodiversity, and human demographic explosion.

This Research Topic aims to provide new science-based information on the status of ecosystems and landscape ecology, including aspects from ecosystem services, animal ecology, plant ecology, and the interaction between species and environmental conditions (climate, including climate changes to air, water, soil, etc.). Furthermore, it addresses a very large area of specialists (as ecology usually does), such as biologists, botanists, silvicultural people, climatologists, geneticists, GISs, and field management specialists.

We welcome articles that research and review ecosystems and landscape ecology. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Assessment of the climatic and anthropogenic effects on terrestrial ecosystems;- The evolution of mountain ecosystems in different climatic regions;
  • The influence of flooding, erosion, drought, fires, pests, and diseases, as well as other natural phenomena, on ecosystems;
  • Wildlife conservation and management;
  • Ecology, biodiversity, and forestry management;
  • Improving and preserving the genetic diversity of species;
  • Policy, science, and practice in the fields of ecosystems and landscapes;
  • Landscape history, sustainability, and resilience.

Dr. Lucian Dinca
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ecosystem services
  • landscape resilience
  • biodiversity
  • environment
  • conservation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 5670 KiB  
Article
Land-Use Transitions Impact the Ecosystem Services Value in a Coastal Region by Coupling the Geo-Informatic Tupu and Benefit-Transfer Method: The Case of Ningde City, China
by Qingxia Peng, Lingzhi Shen, Wenxiong Lin, Shuisheng Fan and Kai Su
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3643; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093643 - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 189
Abstract
Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the [...] Read more.
Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the existing literature lacks comprehensive analysis regarding the spatial and temporal evolution of LUTs, with insufficient integration of the “spatial pattern” and “time process”. Moreover, traditional assessments of the ecosystem services value (ESV) often overlook their negative costs. To address these gaps, this study first utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform and employed the random forest algorithm to conduct supervised classification on Landsat remote-sensing images from the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 within the research area, thereby obtaining land-use data for three distinct periods. And then, we investigated the geographic features of LUTs and their ecological effects in the Ningde City of China from 2000 to 2020. The geo-informatic Tupu model and a newly revised method of benefit transfer were primarily employed for this purpose. The findings indicate the following: (1) Over the study period, the land-use structure of Ningde City predominantly comprised cultivated land and forest land, with continuous decreases in both types and a concurrent increase in built-up land. (2) Significant disparities exist in the spatial distribution of Tupu units, notably with “forest land → cultivated land” and “cultivated land → built-up land” as crucial units influencing ESV changes. (3) The ESV in Ningde City decreased from CNY 1105.54 × 108 to CNY 1020.47 × 108 over 2000–2020, while the ecosystem dis-services value exhibited an opposing trend, rising from CNY 12.68 × 108 to CNY 20.39 × 108. (4) The net ESV in Ningde City showed a decline over the same period, indicating a certain vulnerability in the city’s ecological system structure. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the influence of land-use patterns on ESV, offering valuable insights for regional ecological–environment management and land-use policy formulation, thereby fostering sustainable development in ecological, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. Furthermore, the results serve as a reference for evaluating net ecosystem services value in other countries/regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology)
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