Advances in Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Oceans".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 5050
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Worldwide, seagrasses are fundamental niche providers that, due to high productivity and complex physical structure, can support large stocks of biomass, which often result in increased diversity. Therefore, seagrass meadows are included amongst the most productive habitats, providing high-value ecosystem services. Their contribution to the retention of atmospheric carbon on aquatic systems are estimated to reach 20% of the total oceanic blue carbon, despite covering only 0.2% of the available area. Particularly in intertidal areas, these meadows can act as thermal buffers of the sediment underneath. Also, they are known to be important nurseries for fish species, including commercial explored species, or support several valued shellfish and other invertebrate species. Other relevant functions include the retention of particulate organic matter and nutrients from the water column, mitigation of ocean acidification, by consuming CO2 on photosynthetic processes, or costal protection by sediment stabilization. There is also a cultural and touristic value, allowing recreational activities related with nature. Nevertheless, these fundamental services and functions are highly threatened due to human activities. There is a consistent reduction in the areas of these meadows, recorded at least since the second half of the 18th century.
Despite these global losses in seagrasses coverage, there is potential to invert this tendency. Seagrasses ecosystem restoration is starting to be regarded as a viable green and blue tool, improving the resilience of coastal ecosystems and the maintenance of important ecosystem services and functions they provide. Therefore, these ecosystems must be regarded as fundamental to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 13 (Climate Action) and 14 (Life Below Water). Several methods could be used to invert the global tendency of seagrass decline, and the results could be highly diversified. It is fundamental to report those results, and therefore, this Special Issue is expected to gather some examples, either successful or not, and became a guide for future attempts of seagrass restoration.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:
- Case studies
- Field and laboratory assays
- Methodologies
- Economical and regulatory issues
- Reports on increase and reduction on seagrass coverage
- Interactions between species
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Daniel Crespo
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
- ecosystem restoration
- sustainable development goals
- aquatic habitats
- carbon retention
- ecosystem engineers
- mitigation of anthropogenic stressors
- habitat heterogeneity
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
