Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater ecosystems cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface and are among the most diverse and threatened systems in the world. They support diverse and productive communities, but the degradation of habitats and species loss in freshwater is far greater than in any other ecosystem. Ecosystems in warm climates are more sensitive to anthropogenic pressures, such as eutrophication and water extraction, than similar ecosystems in temperate or cold climates. Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems have a highly endangered biodiversity, which cannot be dissociated from the long history of human disturbances. Additionally, water diversion, flow regulation, increased salinity, eutrophication, pollution and introduced species have impacted the Mediterranean ecosystems over time. As a result, freshwater biodiversity is declining at a far greater rate than the biodiversity of any other terrestrial ecosystem. The loss of biodiversity is altering ecosystem functions and services that are essential for the well-being of the human community, as well as threatening species with extinction.

In this Special Issue, we aim to collect high-quality articles addressing the factors that influence freshwater biodiversity conservation in Mediterranean climate ecosystems (e.g. streams, rivers, lakes, lagoons, ponds, etc). This research topic is open to submissions related to biodiverse ecosystem functioning, land use and climate changes, human impacts in catchment areas over the last decades, species decline and invasion, and the potential effects of water quality change on threatened species and habitats. We also welcome submissions on the ecological assessment and conservation management of Mediterranean climate freshwater ecosystems and their respective capacity to support ecological integrity and to provide ecosystem services.

Assoc. Prof. Eva Papastergiadou
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. Water 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 2600 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.

• Freshwater biodiversity
• Mediterranean ecosystems
• Climate change
• Ecosystem functioning
• Threatened species and habitats
• Invasive species
• Eutrophication/pollution
• Water quality assessments
• Conservation planning,
• Catchment management and restoration