Soil Chemistry in Forestry and Agroforestry Systems—Heavy Metal Pollution
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 195
Special Issue Editors
Interests: heavy metals in soils; soil geochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil; soil analysis; environment; soil fertility; fertilizers; water quality
Interests: soil science; soil genesis and classification; biogeochemistry; coastal wetlands
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Forest and agroforestry systems can contribute to addressing many current and future environmental challenges. However, these ecosystems are susceptible to the heavy metal pollution generated by natural causes or human activities, such as land-use change, pesticide use, effluent discharge, and air pollution. This can impact water and soil quality, as well as the ecosystem services provided (e.g., provisioning, regulating, and supporting services). It is crucial to adopt sustainable practices, preservation, restoration, and environmental regulations to protect these ecosystems. Forestry and agroforestry systems encompass a wide range of ecosystems, including forests, woodlands, and integrated tree–crop systems. These ecosystems play a crucial role in environmental sustainability, as they support biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and provide essential resources. However, they are also susceptible to heavy metal pollution, which can originate from various sources such as mining, industrial activities, and agricultural practices. Heavy metals can accumulate in soils, affecting water quality, plant health, and overall ecosystem vitality.
Monitoring, understanding, and mitigating heavy metal pollution in these systems is essential to preserving their ecological functions and ensuring a sustainable future. This includes knowledge regarding sources, fate, interactions in soil phases (organic and inorganic), and remediation practices.
As cutting-edge research, we expect studies encompassing advanced monitoring methodologies, environmental consequences, the major sources and fates of heavy metals, impacts on soil quality, wildlife, and human health, as well as successful cases of ecosystem remediation techniques (e.g., phytoremediation, biodegradation, agromining, conservation policies, etc.). Additionally, these approaches should foster interest in public or private institutions to ensure that decision-makers can benefit from the generated knowledge.
Dr. Hermano Melo Queiroz
Dr. Diego Barcellos
Dr. Gabriel Nuto Nóbrega
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- environmental contamination
- green chemistry
- soil contamination
- public policy
- groundwater contamination
- trace elements
- human health
- environmental geochemistry
- conservation and restoration
- remediation techniques
- phytoremediation
- tailings
- waste discharge
- anthropogenic soils
