Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.8
3.9
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 9931

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
Interests: global change ecology; conservation biology; species distribution models; invasive species; vector-borne diseases; climate change
Dr. Engil Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
Interests: soil conservation and food security

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and food production rely on the availability of natural resources such as freshwater, soil quality, and habitat conservation, yet human activities overexploit natural resources at unsustainable rates, causing biodiversity crisis, food insecurity, and irreversible damage to the Earth’s ecosystems. These threats are now compounded by the impacts of global climate change, including increased frequency of extreme weather (e.g., droughts, floods). To address these issues, it is necessary to develop strategies that support environmental conservation and a sustainable use of natural resources.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to expand the state-of-the-art in strategies and management solutions that aim to mitigate and reduce human-induced threats to the environment.

The Guest Editors would welcome contributions on the following themes:

  • Adaptation practices to climate adversities
  • Ecosystem restoration
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Groundwater overdraft reduction
  • Best practices in soil conservation
  • Sustainable forest management
  • Sustainable fishing
  • Sustainable livestock management
  • Food security and climate change
  • Community resilience in the face of climate change

Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo
Dr. Engil Pereira
Guest Editors

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

  • biodiversity conservation
  • adaptation to global climate change
  • overfishing
  • overgrazing in livestock management
  • ecosystem restoration
  • food security
  • climate change
  • global change
  • invasive species
  • species distribution modeling

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 1053 KiB  
Article
Post-Harvest Eucalyptus Residue Removal Reduces Soil Aggregation and Biological Activities in Central-West Brazil
by Karla Nascimento Sena, Thaís Soto Boni, Kátia Luciene Maltoni, Ana Maria Rodrigues Cassiolato and Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8790; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15118790 - 30 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 988
Abstract
Tree residue removal from Eucalyptus plantations after timber harvest can reduce soil functioning by reducing the organic matter input. To assess the effects of residue management systems (RMS) on soil aggregation, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, and biological activities, a field trial [...] Read more.
Tree residue removal from Eucalyptus plantations after timber harvest can reduce soil functioning by reducing the organic matter input. To assess the effects of residue management systems (RMS) on soil aggregation, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, and biological activities, a field trial was conducted in a commercial Eucalyptus plantation (loamy sand soil) in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The study assessed three RMS: cut-to-length (CTL), tree-length (TL), and bare litter (BL), respectively. After 21 months, undisturbed soil samples were collected and physically isolated into three aggregate-size fractions: large macroaggregates (LM), medium macroaggregates (SM), and microaggregates (MI). Results showed that these soils are mostly composed of LM (54%), and that removing harvest residues from the growing site included total organic carbon (TOC) by 28%, microbial biomass-C by 20%, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis by 17%, and β-glucosidase activity by 26%, when compared to CTL. TL outperformed CTL for the proportion of LM and LM-associated TOC. Across fractions, a higher microbial quotient was observed in SM and MI fractions, suggesting that the TOC has higher stability inside the LM. This study suggests that leaving harvest residues on the soil should be recommended for Eucalyptus plantations, especially in low-fertility sandy soils, as it helps in maintaining the soil structure and biological activities critical for soil health and ecosystem function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 9034 KiB  
Article
The Bioclimatic Change of the Agricultural and Natural Areas of the Adriatic Coastal Countries
by Ioannis Charalampopoulos, Fotoula Droulia and Jeffrey Evans
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4867; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15064867 - 09 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1406
Abstract
In this study, the present bioclimatic conditions and the estimated changes of the bioclimate over natural and agricultural areas of the Adriatic territory (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia) are analysed and presented. For this purpose, a survey on De [...] Read more.
In this study, the present bioclimatic conditions and the estimated changes of the bioclimate over natural and agricultural areas of the Adriatic territory (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia) are analysed and presented. For this purpose, a survey on De Martonne’s bioclimate categories’ spatial distribution over the entire examined area and individual countries is conducted for the reference period (1981–2010) and for three more future time periods (2011–2040; 2041–2070; 2071–2100) under two emissions scenarios (ssp370/RCP7 and ssp585/RCP8.5). The very high spatial resolution (~300 m) results demonstrate that the potential future alterations of the Adriatic territory’s bioclimate indicate the probable acceleration of the trend towards warmer and dryer conditions by 2100 under the RCP8.5 scenario, with the Italian region’s agricultural areas mainly being influenced. Moreover, as the studied scenarios project, the bioclimatic impact will affect natural and agricultural areas. For the agricultural areas, the semi-dry class (the most xerothermic in the study area) will expand from 4.9% (reference period) to 17.7% according to the RCP8.5 scenario for the period 2071–2100. When over the natural areas, the related variation of the same class is from 0.9% to 5.6%. In general, the western part of the Adriatic coastline is more vulnerable to climate results than the eastern one. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3570 KiB  
Article
Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on the Distribution of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in the Americas
by Marcos Sánchez Pérez, Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo, Crystian Sadiel Venegas Barrera, Carolina Sosa-Gutiérrez, Javier Torres, Katherine A. Brown and Guadalupe Gordillo Pérez
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4557; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15054557 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
Climate change may influence the incidence of infectious diseases including those transmitted by ticks. Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex has a worldwide distribution and transmits Rickettsial infections that could cause high mortality rates if untreated. We assessed the potential effects of climate change on the [...] Read more.
Climate change may influence the incidence of infectious diseases including those transmitted by ticks. Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex has a worldwide distribution and transmits Rickettsial infections that could cause high mortality rates if untreated. We assessed the potential effects of climate change on the distribution of R. sanguineus in the Americas in 2050 and 2070 using the general circulation model CanESM5 and two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), SSP2-4.5 (moderate emissions) and SSP2-8.5 (high emissions). A total of 355 occurrence points of R. sanguineus and eight uncorrelated bioclimatic variables were entered into a maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) to produce 50 replicates per scenario. The area under the curve (AUC) value for the consensus model (>0.90) and the partial ROC value (>1.28) indicated a high predictive capacity. The models showed that the geographic regions currently suitable for R. sanguineus will remain stable in the future, but also predicted increases in habitat suitability in the Western U.S., Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia. Scenario 4.5 showed an increase in habitat suitability for R. sanguineus in tropical and subtropical regions in both 2050 and 2070. Habitat suitability is predicted to remain constant in moist broadleaf forests and deserts but is predicted to decrease in flooded grasslands and savannas. Using the high emissions SSP5-8.5 scenario, habitat suitability in tropical and subtropical coniferous forests and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands was predicted to be constant in 2050. In 2070, however, habitat suitability was predicted to decrease in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and increase in tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests. Our findings suggest that the current and potential future geographic distributions can be used in evidence-based strategies in the design of control plans aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases transmitted by R. sanguineus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 708 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Urbanization and Climate Change Effects on Community Resilience in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas
by George Atisa and Alexis E. Racelis
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14159049 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3128
Abstract
Disruptive development events have tested and will continue to test community resilience as people work to balance healthy living, economic growth, and environmental quality. Aspects of urbanization, if not designed and guided by healthy living strategies, convert natural areas into built environments, thus [...] Read more.
Disruptive development events have tested and will continue to test community resilience as people work to balance healthy living, economic growth, and environmental quality. Aspects of urbanization, if not designed and guided by healthy living strategies, convert natural areas into built environments, thus reducing the diversity of plant and animal species that are the foundation of resilience in communities. In this study, we attempted to answer the following question: What are the most effective ways to ensure that ongoing urbanization and climate change do not negatively affect ecological services and community resilience in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV)? The region is experiencing a high urban growth rate and is also one of the poorest regions in Texas. Thus, it has an inadequate capacity to prevent or mitigate climate change-related threats and take advantage of opportunities associated with urbanization. Using qualitative analysis, we consulted existing literature to identify relevant leverage points that can help foster regional resilience capacity. The findings show that there are very strong leverage points that can produce cumulative desired resilience outcomes, but these have not been incorporated into policy and natural systems in the RGV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3128 KiB  
Article
Towards Conserving Crop Wild Relatives along the Texas–Mexico Border: The Case of Manihot walkerae
by Gisel Garza, Crystian Sadiel Venegas Barrera, Jon Dale, José Guadalupe Martínez-Ávalos and Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5392; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095392 - 29 Apr 2022
Viewed by 1637
Abstract
Walker’s Manihot, Manihot walkerae, is an endangered species endemic to south Texas and northeastern Mexico and is a Crop Wild Relative (CWR) of the international and economically important crop cassava (M. esculenta). Manihot walkerae is globally endangered (IUCN’s Redlist, Texas [...] Read more.
Walker’s Manihot, Manihot walkerae, is an endangered species endemic to south Texas and northeastern Mexico and is a Crop Wild Relative (CWR) of the international and economically important crop cassava (M. esculenta). Manihot walkerae is globally endangered (IUCN’s Redlist, Texas list, USA); however, it is not recognized on the Mexican list of endangered species (NOM-059-SEMARNAT). We assessed the status of M. walkerae in Mexico and re-evaluated its global status. According to our analysis, M. walkerae should be considered an endangered species based on the IUCN’s assessment method and a threatened species in Mexico based on the Mexican criteria. Our findings encourage the establishment of sound conservation plans for M. walkerae along the Texas–Mexico border. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecology: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop