Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2025 | Viewed by 3500

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Venice, Italy
Interests: transitional and coastal waters; environmental impact assessment; ecological and chemical status quality; statistical data analysis; ecological restoration; water framework directive; climate change
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Venice, Italy
Interests: transitional waters; restoration of coastal lagoon; monitoring human impact; water framework directive; environmental lagoon management; nature-based solutions; climate change; ecological status quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, many marine and coastal ecosystems have experienced a decrease in their environmental status. Multiple stressors, such as pollutants, excess of nutrient inputs, fishing and harvesting of aquatic resources, shipping activities and some recreational activities, direct destruction or reduction in habitats, and other ecosystem alterations, as well as issues related to climate change, such as sea-level rise, coastal squeeze and erosion, can impact biological processes, alter ecosystem functions and decrease global and local biodiversity. The protection and restoration of these ecosystems are a high priority. Thus, they may recover from anthropogenic perturbations by following natural restoration. Otherwise, anthropogenic interventions can redirect the recovery through ecological restoration.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together scientific studies carried out on ecological restoration in marine, coastal and transitional waters. Submissions on the following issues related to ecological restoration, among other issues, are welcome:

  • Case studies;
  • New approaches to assess goals’ restorative activities;
  • Remediation of impacted areas;
  • Restoration ecology: address causes and study the process;
  • Nature-based solutions;
  • Ecological service assessment in restoration;
  • Eco-engineering measures.

Dr. Federica Cacciatore
Dr. Rossella Boscolo Brusà
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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

  • marine, coastal and transitional waters
  • habitat status
  • wildlife/species
  • ecological services
  • nature based solutions
  • environmental restoration

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 655 KiB  
Article
Economic Values for Coral Reef Conservation and Restoration in Florida
by Kristy Wallmo and Mary E. Allen
Environments 2024, 11(11), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110261 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 335
Abstract
Florida’s coral reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and provides valuable ecosystem services, such as recreation and tourism, erosion protection, and other services. Florida’s reefs have been declining due to impacts from climate change, pollution, and other pressures. In [...] Read more.
Florida’s coral reef is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world and provides valuable ecosystem services, such as recreation and tourism, erosion protection, and other services. Florida’s reefs have been declining due to impacts from climate change, pollution, and other pressures. In response, various conservation strategies have been implemented, including education and outreach, growing corals in nurseries and transplanting them to degraded reef sites, and deploying artificial reefs. However, few studies have estimated an explicit value for different strategies to attain conservation goals. Understanding economic values for reef restoration and enhancement is needed to help inform decision-making and support marine policy. This study conducted a stated preference choice experiment survey to examine the way U.S. residents make economic trade-offs among different restoration strategies, including increasing coral cover, deploying artificial reefs, and limiting visitor access to reef sites. The results suggest that, on average, the economic value of increasing coral cover is about twice as high as the value of increasing the number of artificial reef sites. Economic values for reducing visitation were similar to values for increasing the number of artificial reefs. These results provide essential information to policy analysts concerning reef use, reef importance, and economic values for reef restoration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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6 pages, 221 KiB  
Opinion
Challenges in Restoring Mediterranean Seagrass Ecosystems in the Anthropocene
by Monica Montefalcone
Environments 2024, 11(5), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11050086 - 23 Apr 2024
Viewed by 2235
Abstract
The intense human pressures in the Anthropocene epoch are causing an alarming decline in marine coastal ecosystems and an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. This situation underscores the urgency of making ecological restoration a global priority to recover degraded ecosystems. Meadows of the endemic [...] Read more.
The intense human pressures in the Anthropocene epoch are causing an alarming decline in marine coastal ecosystems and an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. This situation underscores the urgency of making ecological restoration a global priority to recover degraded ecosystems. Meadows of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica have lost more than half of their original extent in the last century, necessitating immediate conservation and management measures, supported by active restoration interventions. This paper explores new opportunities and provides specific recommendations to enhance restoration as a fundamental strategy for reversing the decline of P. oceanica ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. When a return to a historical pristine reference condition may not be feasible in the short term or desirable given current environmental conditions and uncertainty, transplanting the tolerant and fast-growing seagrass species Cymodocea nodosa could facilitate natural recolonization. This would occur through secondary ecological succession, benefiting the sensitive and slow-growing species P. oceanica. Future global and local efforts should primarily focus on proactive management to prevent further alterations by planning appropriate conservation measures in a timely manner to mitigate and reverse global changes. As a secondary step, restoration programs can be implemented with a focus on ‘target-oriented’ rather than ‘reference-oriented’ conditions, aiming to establish ecosystems capable of sustaining the future rather than replicating the historical environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecological Restoration in Marine Environments)
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