Announcements

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to land–climate interactions, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2022 and 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice.

The list of relevant papers can be seen below:

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to land systems and global change, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) from 2022 to 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice. The list of relevant papers can be seen below.

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to land planning and landscape architecture, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) from 2022 to 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice. The list of relevant papers can be seen below.

1. “Planning and Designing Natural and Urban Environments with an Adaptive Visualization Framework: The Case of Pazhou Island, Guangzhou, Pearl River Delta”
by Adam Tomkins and Eckart Lange
Land 2023, 12(2), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020377
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/377

2. “A Decision Support Tool for Green Infrastructure Planning in the Face of Rapid Urbanization”
by Peta Brom, Kristine Engemann, Christina Breed, Maya Pasgaard, Titilope Onaolapo and Jens-Christian Svenning
Land 2023, 12(2), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020415
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/415

3. “Periphery and Integrated Planning: Coping with Rural and Touristic Challenges across Scales in the German Wadden Sea Region”
by Nora Mehnen, Ingo Mose, Peter Schaal, Frans Sijtsma, José Muñoz-Rojas, Mariia Fedoriak and Per Angelstam
Land 2023, 12(4), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040904
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/904

4. “Territorial and Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Assessments: Implications for Spatial Planning Policies”
by Kimmo Lylykangas, Rebecca Cachia, Damiano Cerrone, Kaie Kriiska, Ulrich Norbisrath, Peter R. Walke, Anssi Joutsiniemi and Jukka Heinonen
Land 2023, 12(6), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061144
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1144

5. “Beyond Biodiversity: Eliciting Diverse Values of Urban Green Spaces in Flanders”
by Thomas Bastiaensen, Ewaut Van Wambeke, Camelia El Bakkali, Jomme Desair, Charlotte Noël, Kaat Kenis, Lukas Vincke and Sander Jacobs
Land 2023, 12(6), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061186
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1186

6. “Sustainability Assessments of Peri-Urban Areas: An Evaluation Model for the Territorialization of the Sustainable Development Goals”
by Pasquale De Toro, Enrico Formato and Nicola Fierro
Land 2023, 12(7), 1415; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071415
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1415

7. “Does the Perceived Effectiveness of Voluntary Conservation Programs Affect Household Adoption of Sustainable Landscaping Practices?”
by Xumin Zhang and Hayk Khachatryan
Land 2023, 12(7), 1429; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071429
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1429

8. “High-Performance Landscapes: Re-Thinking Design and Management Choices to Enhance Ecological Benefits in Urban Environments”
by J. Amy Belaire, Heather Bass, Heather Venhaus, Keri Barfield, Tim Pannkuk, Katherine Lieberknecht and Shalene Jha
Land 2023, 12(9), 1689; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091689
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/9/1689

9. “Coexistence and Succession of Spontaneous and Planted Vegetation on Extensive Mediterranean Green Roofs: Impacts on Soil, Seed Banks, and Mesofauna”
by Christel Vidaller, Anaïs Jouet, Carmen Van Mechelen, Tania De Almeida, Jérôme Cortet, Lucie Rivière, Grégory Mahy, Martin Hermy and Thierry Dutoit
Land 2023, 12(9), 1726; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091726
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/9/1726

10. “Edible Garden Cities: Rethinking Boundaries and Integrating Hedges into Scalable Urban Food Systems”
by David Adams, Peter J. Larkham and Michael Hardman
Land 2023, 12(10), 1915; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101915
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1915

11. “The Welfare Landscape and Densification—Residents’ Relations to Local Outdoor Environments Affected by Infill Development”
by Märit Jansson and Julia Schneider
Land 2023, 12(11), 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112021
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2021

12. “Unpacking the Dynamics of Urban Transformation in Heritage Places through ‘Critical System Dynamics’: The Case of Beresford Square, Woolwich”
by Kalliopi Fouseki, Lorika Hisari, Xinqiao Dong, Chiara Bonacchi, Elizabeth Robson, Elisa Broccoli, Torgrim Sneve Guttormsen, Michele Nucciotti and Sharon Shieh
Land 2023, 12(11), 2040; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112040
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2040

13. “The Road to India’s Renewable Energy Transition Must Pass through Crowded Lands”
by Joseph M. Kiesecker, Shivaprakash K. Nagaraju, James R. Oakleaf, Anthony Ortiz, Juan Lavista Ferres, Caleb Robinson, Srinivas Krishnaswamy, Raman Mehta, Rahul Dodhia, Jeffrey S. Evans et al.
Land 2023, 12(11), 2049; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112049
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2049

14. “The Renewal of the Finnish Planning Legislation as a Strategy of Urban Planning and Development”
by Liisa Horelli and Sirkku Wallin
Land 2023, 12(11), 2085; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112085
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2085

15. “The Urban Future: Relating Garden City Ideas to the Climate Emergency”
by Anastasia Nikologianni and Peter J. Larkham
Land 2022, 11(2), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/2/147

16. “Cellular Automata in Modeling and Predicting Urban Densification: Revisiting the Literature since 1971”
by Anasua Chakraborty, Sujit Sikder, Hichem Omrani and Jacques Teller
Land 2022, 11(7), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11071113
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/7/1113

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to socio-economic relations and political issues, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) from 2022 to 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice. The list of relevant papers can be seen below.

1. “Maintaining Agricultural Production by Building Local Distribution Systems in the Northern Area of Japan”
by Noriaki Kawasaki, Tamaki Washio, Katsunori Nakamura and Ken-Ichiro Nagahama
Land 2023, 12(2), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020320
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/320

2. “Investigating the Factors Influencing the Intention to Adopt Long-Term Land Leasing in Northern Ireland”
by Adewale Henry Adenuga, Claire Jack and Ronan McCarry
Land 2023, 12(3), 649; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030649
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/3/649

3. “The Impact of Government Support and Social Networks on Peasants’ Effective Participation in High-Standard Farmland Construction: Evidence from Yancheng City, China”
by Huawei Zheng, Kunyu Lou, Yuanyuan Yang, Han Wang and Yong Lu
Land 2023, 12(5), 955; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050955
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/955

4. “Land Use Structure Optimization and Ecological Benefit Evaluation in Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration Based on Carbon Neutrality”
by Zhi Wang, Fengwan Zhang, Shaoquan Liu and Dingde Xu
Land 2023, 12(5), 1016; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051016
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1016

5. “Integrating Energy Systems Language and Emergy Approach to Simulate and Analyze the Energy Flow Process of Land Transfer”
by Weiguo Fan, Wei Yao and Kehan Chen
Land 2023, 12(5), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051070
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1070

6. “A Review of Village Ecosystem Structure and Stability: Implications for the Karst Desertification Control”
by Li Lin, Kangning Xiong, Qi Wang, Rong Zhao and Jiayi Zhou
Land 2023, 12(6), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061136
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1136

7. “The Olive Grove Landscape as a Tourist Resource in Andalucía: Oleotourism”
by Mª Genoveva Dancausa Millán, Javier Sanchez-Rivas García and Mª Genoveva Millán Vázquez de la Torre
Land 2023, 12(8), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081507
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1507

8. “Spatiotemporal Linkages between Administrative Division Adjustment and Urban Form: Political Drivers of the Urban Polycentric Structure”
by Youlin Chen, Lei Wang, Peiheng Yu, Ning Nie, Xuan Yang and Yiyun Chen
Land 2023, 12(9), 1674; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091674
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/9/1674

9. “One Hundred Priority Questions for the Development of Sustainable Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa”
by Adam J. M. Devenish, Petra Schmitter, Nugun. P. Jellason, Nafeesa Esmail, Nur M. Abdi, Selase K. Adanu, Barbara Adolph, Maha Al-Zu’bi, Amali A. Amali, Jennie Barron et al. 
Land 2023, 12(10), 1879; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101879
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1879

10. “Does Environmental Aid Make a Difference? Analyzing Its Impact in Developing Countries”
by Chris McCarthy, Troy Sternberg and Lumbani Benedicto Banda
Land 2023, 12(10), 1953; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101953
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1953

11. “How Can Drones Uncover Land Degradation Hotspots and Restoration Hopespots? An Integrated Approach in the Mount Elgon Region with Community Perceptions”
by  Hosea Opedes, Shafiq Nedala, Caspar A. Mücher, Jantiene E. M. Baartman and Frank Mugagga
Land 2024, 13(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010001 (registering DOI)
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/1/1

12. “A Systematic Review of a City in a City: An Aerotropolitan Perspective”
by Emeka Austin Ndaguba, Jua Cilliers and Sumita Ghosh
Land 2022, 11(9), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091499
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/9/1499

13. “Ecological Civilization in Practice: An Exploratory Study of Urban Agriculture in Four Chinese Cities”
by Alesandros Glaros, Geoff Luehr, Zhenzhong Si and Steffanie Scott
Land 2022, 11(10), 1628; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101628
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1628

14. “Regional Planning, Land-Use Management, and Governance in German Metropolitan Regions—The Case of Rhine–Neckar Metropolitan Region”
by Simin Yan and Anna Growe
Land 2022, 11(11), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112088
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/11/2088

15. “Climate Change and Natural Resource Scarcity: A Literature Review on Dry Farming”
by Naomi di Santo, Ilaria Russo and Roberta Sisto
Land 2022, 11(12), 2102; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122102
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/12/2102

16. “The Contribution of Land Registration and Certification Program to Implement SDGs: The Case of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia”
by Ayelech Kidie Mengesha, Reinfried Mansberger, Doris Damyanovic, Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu and Gernot Stoeglehner
Land 2023, 12(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010093
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/93

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to urban contexts and urban–rural interactions, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice. The list of relevant papers can be seen below.

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

Editor's Choice Articles are selected based on suggestions from Land’s Academic Editors. The Editors select a small number of recently published articles that they consider particularly interesting to our readers or important in their respective fields of research. You are welcome to read the Editor's Choice Articles related to soil–sediment–water systems, a curated list of high-quality articles published in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2023. The full list of Editor's Choice Articles can be viewed at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/editors_choice. The list of relevant papers can be seen below.

1. “Using a Rainfall Simulator to Define the Effect of Soil Conservation Techniques on Soil Loss and Water Retention”
by Jakub Stašek, Josef Krása, Martin Mistr, Tomáš Dostál, Jan Devátý, Tomáš Středa and Jan Mikulka
Land 2023, 12(2), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020431
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/431

2. “Satellite-Based Carbon Estimation in Scotland: AGB and SOC”
by Chun Ki Chan, Carla Arus Gomez, Anish Kothikar and P. M. Baiz-Villafranca
Land 2023, 12(4), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040818
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/818

3. “Nitrogenous and Phosphorus Soil Contents in Tierra del Fuego Forests: Relationships with Soil Organic Carbon, Climate, Vegetation and Landscape Metrics”
by Guillermo Martínez Pastur, Marie-Claire Aravena Acuña, Jimena E. Chaves, Juan M. Cellini, Eduarda M. O. Silveira, Julián Rodriguez-Souilla, Axel von Müller, Ludmila La Manna, María V. Lencinas and Pablo L. Peri
Land 2023, 12(5), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050983
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/983

4. “Interactive Effects Determine Radiocarbon Abundance in Soil Fractions of Global Biomes”
by Guoai Li, Xuxu Chai, Zheng Shi and Honghua Ruan
Land 2023, 12(5), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051072
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1072

5. “Comparison of Soil Taxonomy (2022) and WRB (2022) Systems for Classifying Paddy Soils with Different Drainage Grades in South Korea”
by Dan-Bi Lee, Young-Nam Kim, Yeon-Kyu Sonn and Kye-Hoon Kim
Land 2023, 12(6), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061204
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1204

6. “Erosion and Sediment Transport Modeling: A Systematic Review”
by Tesfa Gebrie Andualem, Guna A. Hewa, Baden R. Myers, Stefan Peters and John Boland
Land 2023, 12(7), 1396; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071396
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1396

7. “A Modeling Approach for Analyzing the Hydrological Impacts of the Agribusiness Land-Use Scenarios in an Amazon Basin”
by Zandra A. Cunha, Carlos R. Mello, Samuel Beskow, Marcelle M. Vargas, Jorge A. Guzman and Maíra M. Moura
Land 2023, 12(7), 1422; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071422
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1422

8. “Rotational Grazing Strategies Minimally Impact Soil Microbial Communities and Carbon Dynamics—A Texas Case Study”
by Jennifer M. Moore, Daniel K. Manter and Kristie A. Maczko
Land 2023, 12(8), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081517
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1517

9. “Quantifying Damages to Soil Health and Emissions from Land Development in the State of Illinois (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman, Gregory C. Post, George B. Shepherd and Renee M. Dixon
Land 2023, 12(8), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081567
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1567

10. “Biochar as Soil Amendment: The Effect of Biochar on Soil Properties Using VIS-NIR Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, Biochar Aging and Soil Microbiology—A Review”
by Vasileios Tsolis and Pantelis Barouchas
Land 2023, 12(8), 1580; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081580
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1580

11. “Short-Term Effect of Different Inputs of Organic Amendments from Olive Oil Industry By-Products on Soil Organic Carbon and Physical Properties”
by Nadia Vignozzi, Maria Costanza Andrenelli, Alessandro Elio Agnelli, Angelo Fiore and Sergio Pellegrini
Land 2023, 12(8), 1628; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081628
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1628

12. “Carbon Storage in Cropland Soils: Insights from Iowa, United States”
by Jim Jordahl, Marshall McDaniel, Bradley A. Miller, Michael Thompson, Sebastian Villarino and Lisa A. Schulte
Land 2023, 12(8), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081630
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1630

13. “Opportunities for Monitoring Soil and Land Development to Support United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Case Study of the United States of America (USA)”
by Elena A. Mikhailova, Hamdi A. Zurqani, Lili Lin, Zhenbang Hao, Christopher J. Post, Mark A. Schlautman and George B. Shepherd
Land 2023, 12(10), 1853; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101853
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1853

14. “GIS-Based RUSLE Reservoir Sedimentation Estimates: Temporally Variable C-Factors, Sediment Delivery Ratio, and Adjustment for Stream Channel and Bank Sediment Sources”
by Patrick J. Starks, Daniel N. Moriasi and Ann-Marie Fortuna
Land 2023, 12(10), 1913; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101913
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1913

15. “Assessment and Mapping of Soil Salinity Using the EM38 and EM38MK2 Sensors: A Focus on the Modeling Approaches”
by Panagiota Antonia Petsetidi and George Kargas
Land 2023, 12(10), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101932
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1932

16. “Optimization of Irrigation of Wine Grapes with Brackish Water for Managing Soil Salinization”
by Vinod Phogat, Tim Pitt, Paul Petrie, Jirka Šimůnek and Michael Cutting
Land 2023, 12(10), 1947; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101947
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1947

17. “Modeling Soil Health Indicators to Assess the Effectiveness of Sustainable Soil Management on Mediterranean Arable Land”
by Chiara Piccini, Roberta Farina, Claudia Di Bene, Silvia Vanino and Rosario Napoli
Land 2023, 12(11), 2001; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112001
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/11/2001

18. “How Can Plants Help Restore Degraded Tropical Soils?”
by Renaud Massoukou Pamba, Vincent Poirier, Pamphile Nguema Ndoutoumou and Terence Epule Epule
Land 2023, 12(12), 2147; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12122147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/12/2147

You are invited to view and submit relevant papers to the journal Land via the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land.

Land Editorial Office

MDPI will be attending the 14th European Conference on Ecological Restoration (SERE2024) in Tartu, Estonia, which will take place from 26 to 30 August 2024. Ecological restoration is a topic that holds a prominent place on both political and scientific agendas. The decline in biodiversity demands our urgent attention, and degraded ecosystems around the world require an effective and knowledge-driven path to recovery. The SERE2024 will cover topics ranging from the theory and practice of restoring various ecosystems (wetlands, grasslands, forests, rivers, agroecosystems, urban and marine ecosystems) to the socioeconomic and political contexts of ecological restoration.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Diversity;
• Land;
• Animals;
• Clean Technologies;
• Conservation;
• Ecologies;
• Environments;
• Forests;
• Geosciences.

If you are attending the conference, please visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://sere2024.org/.

MDPI will be attending the 5th Academic Forum on “Nitrogen Biogeochemical Cycle” in Wuhan, China, which will take place from 16 to 18 August 2024. The conference is organized by the Soil Science Society of China (SSSC). With the theme of “Global Change and Ecosystem Nitrogen Cycle”, this academic forum will focus on important issues such as the farmland ecosystem nitrogen cycle, wetland and water nitrogen cycle, forest and grassland nitrogen cycle, atmospheric nitrogen cycle, nitrogen cycle microorganisms and nitrogen management and policy, and conduct in-depth discussions.

The top ten scientific advances of the year in research on the nitrogen cycle will also be released to promote cross-integration and independent innovation among disciplines.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Diversity;
• Sustainability;
• Ecologies;
• Environments;
• Land;
• Limnological Review;
• Nitrogen;
• Plants.

If you are planning to attend the conference, please visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://ncycle2024.aconf.cn/.

MDPI will be attending the 31st International Conference on Geoinformatics, to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 14 to 16 August 2024.

The International Conference on Geoinformatics is an official conference of the International Association of Chinese Professionals in Geographic Information Sciences (CPGIS) and has attracted not only the CPGIS community members but also researchers, professionals, and students from a broad range of communities. The conference is organized annually in different cities across the world, and as the organizers, we welcome you to the 31st International Conference on Geoinformatics to be organized in Toronto this year.

The main theme of the proposed conference is “Geospatial Sciences for Sustainability”. Under this theme, the objective of the conference is to offer an engaging platform for networking and exchanging new ideas and cutting-edge knowledge among diverse GIScience professionals worldwide and for promoting collaboration in geospatial science and sustainability.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Remote Sensing;
• IJGI;
• Land;
• Earth;
• Sustainability;
• Data;
• BDCC;
• Informatics;
• Smart Cities;
• Hydrology;
• Drones;
• Geosciences;
• Geomatics.

Our representatives, Dr. Elvis Wang and Dr. Zach Churcher, are eager to answer your questions and address any queries you may have.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.cpgis.org/Conferences/ConferenceDefault.aspx?ID=2080.

We are pleased to announce Dr. Pamela Durán-Díaz as one of the winners of the Land 2023 Outstanding Reviewer Award.

The following is a short interview with Dr. Pamela Durán-Díaz:

1. Could you give us a brief introduction of yourself and the main research content of your current work?

I am Pamela Duran-Diaz, a Mexican citizen of the world and Senior Planning and Governance Specialist at IHS of Erasmus University Rotterdam. I studied architecture in Mexico, and my curiosity brought me to Barcelona, where I pursued an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in urban planning; my thesis was about the role of water bodies in giving structure to all of the systems that converge in any given territory. My research work was the perfect excuse to travel around the world to see how water bodies condition urban dynamics, and it also opened the door to other opportunities: I became a postdoctoral fellow at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya to study the sustainable management of extreme cultural landscapes in China, Mali, and Mexico. I was organizing and facilitating workshops in collaboration with Tsinghua University, China University of Geosciences, and ESIAU in Bamako. What started as an adventure turned into 11 years of living in Spain.

In 2016, I joined the Technical University of Munich in Germany, where I became the coordinator of the Doctoral and Master's programs on Land Management and Geospatial Science (formerly Land Management and Land Tenure). I had to change the scale at which I looked at land, from the urban artefact to the whole territory, and from urban to peri-urban and rural areas. I got my hands deep into land governance on my second postdoc. It was a large capacity building project to strengthen land governance in Africa, which was a great opportunity to learn from the over 500 land professionals and stakeholders from about 30 different African countries that participated in that project! I was working hand in hand with consultants and stakeholders from the World Bank, UN Habitat, NELGA, Kadaster, ALPC, FAO, and more.

I have been involved in several advisory and capacity building projects around the world. That was how I got involved in impactful projects about frugivorous fish in the Amazonian Rainforest, Indigenous land rights in Latin America, women-led farmstays in the Himalayas, food sovereignty in Colombia, urban gardening in Germany and Mexico, water management in Nepal, environmental risk assessment in Mexico, the policy review of the UNESCO Convention, the potential of AI for the energy transition in Ghana, Zambia, DRC, and Argentina, and many more! These experiences inspired me to pursue my Habilitation in “Sustainable Land Governance for Water–Energy–Food Systems”. I am one paper and a public presentation away from achieving it at the Technical University of Munich.

2. Can you tell us how you first discovered open access journals and your thoughts on how open access affects authors?

I am a millennial; thus, I grew up in an analogical world transitioning to a digital one. Therefore, during my studies and at the beginning of my professional career, I spent most of my afternoons and free time in the library. I relied on the subscriptions from my university to get access to scientific journals and impactful research. Moreover, because of the historical approach of my doctoral studies, I needed to read discontinued resources that weren’t available at my local library or digitally. Hence, a significant part of my scholarship went to book acquisition on bidding platforms.

I did not really explore open access journals until I was already a postdoctoral researcher. It truly changed my view on equitable access to data, innovation, and research! I used to believe that information was within reach of everyone, until I found a world that was sort of hidden due to the lack of resources. This is still the reality for many of my colleagues in the Global South; many universities and research institutions have little or no resources to invest in subscriptions (which hinders the ability of being updated) and/or to publish research (which obstructs the visibility of outstanding research projects).

Open access aims to change such disparities. Despite the hard work, it is a laudable cause.

3. What are the key factors and aspects that you consider that should be taken seriously in the process of reviewing manuscripts?

Reviewing manuscripts is, to a certain degree, like supervising research. The findings and results will be tied to the reviewer, even if done anonymously. The reviewer is—at least partly—responsible for the reliability of the data, the findings, and even the recommendations provided. There is an ethical dimension to peer reviewing: it implies having the knowledge and competence on specific topics; it requires being constantly updated on current trends, flourishing topics/innovations, and pressing challenges. Furthermore, one should have the ability to give constructive feedback that would improve both the scientific outcomes and communication of such outcomes.

As a rule of thumb, the ethical considerations in the process of reviewing manuscripts are updated knowledge/expertise on the topic, detailed constructive feedback, and readability of the results.

4. How do you feel about being awarded the Outstanding Reviewer Award, and could you share any insights or recommendations for future reviewers?

I feel truly honored to be awarded the Outstanding Reviewer Award! I have been reading, contributing, and reviewing for Land for many years, so I truly enjoy the acknowledgement from the scientific community.

I would like to recommend my fellow researchers to embark on the review process as well. One should not underestimate how nurturing this process is: it enhances our understanding of global challenges, while making science accessible to all.

5. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?

While we cannot foresee many of the challenges ahead of us (for instance, the pandemic took us by surprise), there are several trends that help us make fair estimations or predictions of what may be coming next. We are about to see the effects of climate change that will transform the world as we know it. This means that we are more likely to see an increment in studies on meteorological variability, biodiversity loss, monitoring systems for environmental risks (such as flooding, landslides, droughts, etc.), societal challenges including displaced population, food insecurity, altered land tenure systems, affected land rights of vulnerable populations (including women, the youth, Indigenous peoples, and the urban/rural/peri-urban poor), and struggles over resources.