Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 8393

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. George Nick Zaimes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Geomorphology, Edaphology and Riparian Areas Laboratory (GERi Lab), Department of Forest and Natural Environment Sciences, International Hellenic University, 66100 Drama, Greece
Interests: sustainable management of water resources; hydrology, riparian ecology and ecosystems restoration; fluvial geomorphology; biological and environmental sciences; water pollution and non-point pollutants; climate change and riparian areas; management of torrents; urban streams; nature-based solutions; ecosystem-based approaches; flood management; drought management; aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems; protected areas
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Riparian areas are unique ecosystems, transition zones between the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They offer many ecosystem services essential for the welfare and development of human societies. These services are often utilized unsustainably and have led to the worldwide degradation of riparian areas. In addition, many researchers highlight that riparian areas are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change impacts. In contrast, their sustainable management can help enhance many ecosystem services, along with providing resilience to climate change and other disasters. This is the reason why their conservation and protection has been recognized as a priority, and major efforts are being implemented for their restoration and maintenance. The scope of this Special Issue is to provide a venue for researcher to provide for the latest methods utilized and implemented in regard to the conservation of riparian areas worldwide. Specifically, we hope that researchers will present innovative assessment and monitoring methods that will enhance the knowledge on the current condition of riparian areas. The focus should be on methods that are cost-effective and time-efficient that should provide water and land managers the necessary information to sustainably manage these ecosystems under anthropogenic and climate change pressures. In addition, we hope that researcher will present successful examples of conservation and restoration efforts of riparian areas. These examples will be based on nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based and ecohydrological principles from heavily agricultural areas, to urbanized settings to natural and protected areas. Another important aspect is to investigate how these successful examples of riparian areas can be utilized to help reduce water pollutants, mitigate climate change impacts and other disaster such as floods and droughts. Overall, the findings presented in this issue will provide land and water managers the latest information to sustainably manage riparian areas for future generations.

Dr. George Nick Zaimes
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

nature-based solutions
sustainable management
ecosystems services
innovative technologies
monitoring
conservation
protection
ecohydrology
climate change

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 14525 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Technologies to Assess and Map an Urban Riparian Area in Drama, Greece, and Determine Opportunity Sites for Litter Traps

by Paschalis Koutalakis, Georgios Gkiatas, Valasia Iakovoglou and George N. Zaimes

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15620; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115620 - 04 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1438

Abstract

Riparian areas offer many ecosystem services, especially in urban settings. Their conservation can be complex because of the many urban anthropogenic pressures they face. Adopting new technological approaches can provide insights on the most cost-effective and sustainable management for riparian areas. In this study, different new technological approaches were implemented to assess and map environmental variables and find the optimal location of nature-based solutions (e.g., litter traps). The study area was Agia Varvara Park in Drama, Greece, a unique natural urban riparian area. The approaches utilized were categorized as aerial, terrestrial, and surface/underwater. Specifically, these approaches included unmanned aerial vehicles that incorporated high-resolution regular and thermal cameras to capture the surface environmental conditions and unmanned underwater vehicles to capture the underwater environmental conditions. The produced orthomosaics and digital surface models enabled us to estimate the boundaries of the water surface in Agia Varvara Park. A GPS tracker was also used to record the potential movement route of litter. Finally, a sonar device was utilized to estimate the water depth of potential cross-sections of Agia Varvara’s stream where the litter trap could be installed. The above datasets were used to develop spatial datasets and accompanying maps that were utilized to find the optimal opportunity sites for the litter trap. A litter trap is a floating device that gathers and maintains litter, vegetation, and other debris. Two specific locations were proposed based on water presence, water depth, channel’s width, limited vegetation for accessibility, wildlife existence, litter’s water route, and stopping location time. Such traps enable the collection of anthropogenic litter. In one location, a litter trap has been installed and is being tested. Overall, the above approaches could be used to suggest other nature-based solutions and/or their optimal location, thus enhancing the sustainable management of urban riparian areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

21 pages, 5983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Biodiversity and Conservation Value of Alpine Grasslands in the Bucegi Massif, Romanian Carpathians

by Claudia Bita-Nicolae, Faruk Yildiz and Ozkan Kaya

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612643 - 21 Aug 2023

Viewed by 850

Abstract

The Carpathian region harbors a wide range of threatened species, making it an area of exceptional conservation value. In the Alpine belt, grasslands cover the entire region and this study aims to describe the communities in the Bucegi Massif of the Romanian Carpathians and highlight their importance for conservation. The Braun–Blanquet approach was used to record floristic data from 47 phytosociological surveys, identifying a total of 235 plant species from 40 different families, including 30 threatened species. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to analyze the data, revealing that the distribution of vegetation is mainly influenced by elevation, slope and vegetation cover. Dominant grass species in these communities include Nardus stricta, Festuca violacea, Kobresia myosuroides, Festuca amethystina, Festuca airoides, Sesleria rigida, Festuca versicolor and Festuca carpatica. The alpine and boreal siliceous grasslands of the Carpathian Mountains, identified by Natura 2000 codes 6150, 6130 and 6170, host a wide range of plant species of significant conservation value. The higher altitude grasslands, especially, have outstanding plant species richness. We argue that although the habitats have been grazed, significant parts of the area are still in good ecological condition, having many typical natural features. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 9368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Flood-Induced Geomorphic Changes in Sidere Creek of the Mountainous Basin Using Small UAV-Based Imagery

by Mehmet Yavuz and Mustafa Tufekcioglu

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11793; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511793 - 31 Jul 2023

Viewed by 651

Abstract

Floods often cause changes in the hydro-geomorphology of riverbeds and banks. These changes need to be closely monitored to find a balance and exchange between lateral and vertical erosion and deposition, upstream local sediment supply, and a stream’s transport capacity. Low-frequency cross-sectional field surveys cannot map hard-to-reach locations. Innovative techniques, such as small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), must be employed to monitor these processes. This research compared historical data with a UAV survey and the Pix4DMapper structure-from-motion (SfM) program to assess the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical changes of Sidere Creek in the eastern Black Sea, Türkiye. Digitization was undertaken using 2011–2015–2017 Google Earth photographs, 1960s topographic maps, and 2023 orthomosaics. ArcGIS 10.6 was used to delineate the centerlines (thalweg), left/right banks, alluvial bars, active channel widths, and channel confinement layers. Channel Migration Toolbox and CloudCompare were utilized for analyzing lateral and vertical morphological changes, respectively. The active channel migrated 25.57 m during 1960–2011, 15.84 m during 2011–2015, 6.96 m during 2015–2017, and 5.79 m during 2017–2023. Left-bank channel confinement rose from 2.4% to 42% and right-bank channel confinement from 5.9% to 34.8% over 63 years. Neither stream meandering nor sinuosity index changed statistically. Active channel boundary widths varied from 149.79 m to 9.46 m, averaging 37.3 m. It can be concluded that UAV surveys can precisely measure and monitor the stream channel longitudinal, lateral, and vertical morphological changes at a lower cost and in less time than previous methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variation in Certain Soil Properties Based on Land Use Type, and Elevation in Arhavi Sub-Basin, Artvin, Turkiye

by Ahmet Duman, Cengizhan Yildirim, Mustafa Tufekcioglu, Aydın Tufekcioglu and Caner Satiral

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9114; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119114 - 05 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1472

Abstract

Knowledge of soil properties such as texture, bulk density, organic matter, soil reaction, soil electrical conductivity, and soil erodibility factor is fundamental to the sustainable management of soil resources. This study aimed to determine the changes in certain soil properties including texture, bulk density, organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity, and soil erodibility factor with different land uses, elevation zones and soil depths in the Arhavi Sub-basin, Artvin, Turkiye. For these purposes, a total of 618 soil samples (309 disturbed and 309 undisturbed) were taken from 155 sampling points located in areas with different land uses, including tea (33 sampling points), hazelnut (33 sampling points), forest (67 sampling points), and grassland (22 sampling points). The results of the statistical analysis revealed that the soils at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm showed significant differences according to the land use in terms of sand, clay, silt, bulk density, organic matter, and pH. There were significant positive correlations between elevation and soil bulk density (r = 0.495) at a soil depth of 0–15 cm in the tea areas. In the grassland areas, there were significant positive correlations between elevation and silt, bulk density, and the soil erodibility factor (r = 0.485, r = 0.794, and r = 0.442, respectively) at depths of 0–15 cm, and significant positive correlations between elevation and both silt and bulk density (r = 0.468 and r = 0.691, respectively) at depths of 15–30 cm. Similarly, there were significant positive correlations between elevation and both sand and organic matter at soil depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm (sand: r = 0.351 and r = 0.638, respectively; organic matter: r = 0.277 and r = 0.587, respectively). On the other hand, significant negative correlations were found between elevation and silt, bulk density, pH, and the soil erodibility factor at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm (silt: r = −0.400 and r = −0.461, respectively; bulk density: r = −0.593 and r = −0.545, respectively; pH: r = −0.354 and r = −0.309, respectively; soil erodibility factor: r = −0.443 and r = −520, respectively). Soil acidity was found to be the most important problem threatening soil fertility in all land uses. The use of soil acidity-increasing fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate, in tea gardens in the region should be eliminated to protect the fertility of soils in the future. The knowledge that this study provides might help farmers and foresters in the region in the proper management and fertilization of their lands. Moreover, this study will provide data to future studies related to soil acidification, soil erosion, and land use that are planned for the Arhavi Sub-basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Integrated Design Methodology for Nature-Based Solutions and Soil and Water Bioengineering Interventions: The Tardio&Mickovski Methodology

by Guillermo Tardio and Slobodan B. Mickovski

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3044; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043044 - 07 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1614

Abstract

A methodology for designing nature-based solutions (NBS) and soil and water bioengineering (SWB) works is proposed which includes the main particularities of this type of intervention. The dynamic nature of NBS/SWB works, their most important changes and possible critical scenarios are reflected in the proposed methodology. A clear and practical time framework for design checks is also defined. Existing structural design routines and plant root reinforcement models are integrated into the proposed time staged scheme. Likewise, the connections with the monitoring stage and the possibilities of continuous improvement are incorporated as an essential characteristic of the approach of this type of intervention. The proposed methodology is validated by means of a practical case study example embracing the whole service life of an SWB/NBS intervention. The obtained results are in good agreement with both the accumulated experience within the European SWB sector and the existing data collected in SWB monitoring works. The proposed methodology can be readily implemented in a wide range of nature restoration projects and works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2629 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Assessing Floodplain Management in Germany—A Case Study on Nationwide Research and Actions

by Janika Heyden and Stephanie Natho

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10610; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710610 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1422

Abstract

After a long history of floodplain degradation and substantial losses of inundation areas over the last decades, a rethinking of floodplain management has taken place in Germany. Floodplains are now acknowledged as important areas for both biodiversity and society. This transformation has been significantly supported by nationwide research activities. A systematic assessment of the current floodplain management is still lacking. We therefore developed a scheme to assess floodplain management through the steps of identification, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. Reviewing the data and literature on nationwide floodplain-related research and activities, we defined key elements of floodplain management for Germany. We concluded that research activities already follow a strategic nationwide approach of identifying and analyzing floodplains. Progress in implementation is slow, however, and potentials are far from being reached. Nevertheless, new and unique initiatives enable Germany to stay on the long-term path of giving rivers more space and improving floodplain conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Assessment and Sustainable Management of Riparian Ecosystems

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI