Dear Colleagues,

Rangelands / Drylands (arid and semi-arid desert, grassland, shrubland, and woodland ecosystems) cover more than 40% of the earth’s terrestrial surface, and are home to more than two billion people. They are vulnerable to climatic variations and a range of human disturbances such as inappropriate grazing and agricultural production systems, altered fire regimes, and the introduction of non-native species. While livestock production is the most common land use activity throughout global dryland ecosystems, millions of people rely on plant resources for food, medicine, fiber, oil and other subsistence, commercial or utilitarian purposes. These bioculturally important rangeland resources have received little to no attention from researchers or the conservation community, and are rarely considered in rangeland conservation, management or restoration efforts, despite their importance to the culture, identity, and livelihoods of millions.

This Special Edition seeks to fill this knowledge gap, and for the first time, bring together research from across the globe focused on the use, importance, conservation, management and restoration of bioculturally important resources of dryland and rangeland ecosystems. The goals of this Special Edition are to 1) increase recognition of the importance of these resources to communities, 2) identify threats and resource management challenges, and 3) identify best practices for sustainable management, conservation or restoration.

Papers are solicited covering all aspects of the use, importance, harvest, ecology, management, and restoration of biocultural resources in rangeland and dryland ecosystems including deserts, shrublands, grasslands, woodlands, and dry forests. The following aspects are of particular interest:

Species Biology & Ecology­– aspects of utilized species’ natural history, population biology or ecology, including impacts of climate change or other disturbances.

Use & Harvest–the effects of harvest on distribution and abundance; sustainable management options.

Cultural & Economic Importance–social, cultural and/or economic importance of species to local and indigenous communities; ethnobiology and ethnobotany.

Monitoring & Management–current or proposed management efforts and their effects on use, availability, harvest, and sustainability; novel approaches to monitoring or management of utilized species.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Governance– the role and importance of TEK in guiding sustainable management efforts; incorporation and inclusion of indigenous voices and self-determination within governance structures that affect availability, use and management.

Restoration– Novel restoration, reintroduction or revitalization efforts focused on utilized species and strengthening the relationship between people and plants.

Markets & Policy– the role of policy and market forces at various scales (from local to international), and their impacts on use, harvest, conservation and management.

Dr. Bryan A. Endress
Prof. Dr. Rainer W Bussmann
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.

• dryland ecosystems
• community-based conservation
• ethnobotany
• indigenous knowledge
• cultural heritage
• non-timber forest products
• sustainable development
• ecological restoration