The Role of Marine Habitat Mapping in Ecosystem-Based Management

A special issue of Oceans (ISSN 2673-1924).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 575

Special Issue Editor

Marine Science Institute (ISMAR)-National Research Council (CNR), Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Interests: deep-water ecosystems; habitat mapping; cold-water corals; vulnerable marine ecosystems; paleobiology and paleoenvironments; molluscs; bio-sedimentology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine habitat maps are a spatial representation of floristic or faunal assemblages that commonly occur together in physical distinct environments (seabed or in the water column). Marine habitat maps make clear the nature, distribution, and extent of present marine environments and may predict the distribution of associated organisms and communities. Habitat maps and related datasets offer important information which is useful for a wide range of human activities, such as biotic and abiotic marine resource exploitation, infrastructure development, marine spatial planning, designation of marine protected areas, and tourism. Datasets and marine habitat maps provide a baseline for stakeholders and decision-makers (local, regional, national or international bodies) working in these sectors.

An accurate marine habitat mapping provides the spatial framework of ecosystem-based management. Its importance, evidenced from local to international management organizations, is based on the use of this fundamental tool in the designation of marine protected areas. Ideally, the starting point in ecosystem-based management should be an accurate description of marine habitats. The increasing use of marine resources by human activities requires a continued improvement of habitat mapping technology and predictive modeling techniques, and their applications to ecosystem-based management plans. What is the role, however, of marine benthic habitat mapping related to ecosystem-based management? Four are the main goals: To carry out scientific research aiming at making knowledge of benthic ecosystems and seafloor geology; to provide the assessments of marine benthic resources for economic purposes; to promote the planning, management, and decision making of benthic marine resources by designing new marine protected areas; and to promote the sustainable use of the marine resources.

Dr. Lorenzo Angeletti
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. Oceans is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1600 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.

Published Papers

There is no accepted submissions to this special issue at this moment.
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