Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.1
2.4
Journals
Diversity
Special Issues
In Situ and Ex Situ Biodiversity Conservation
share announcement

In Situ and Ex Situ Biodiversity Conservation

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 20365

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Gabriella Buffa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
Interests: biodiversity conservation; biodiversity monitoring; landscape scale conservation; ecological planning and restoration; biodiversity-based ecosystem services; plant traits; plant community ecology; management of alien plant species
Dr. Silvia Del Vecchio

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
Interests: plant community ecology; biodiversity monitoring; plant traits; plant regeneration niche; climate change; nature conservation; seed germination; coastal dunes
Dr. Edy Fantinato

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
Interests: pollination ecology; biodiversity conservation; species interactions; community ecology; landscape ecology; biodiversity monitoring

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Until recently, conservation planning largely focused on representing current patterns of biodiversity, and successes have been gained from management of high-priority species and habitats, through botanic gardens, zoos, gene banks (ex situ methods) or conservation areas specifically designated for a conservation purpose (in situ methods).

Although traditional conservation planning remains crucial, the growth, extent, and complexity of the problems biodiversity faces put in evidence the need of finding new approaches to move from documenting biodiversity patterns and losses, or identifying specific causes of decline, to understanding key underlying ecological processes that govern biodiversity and the ecosystem functioning. This shifting perspective can provide new insights in both conservation planning and monitoring.

The Special Issue provides a platform to discuss new approaches aimed at improving our effectiveness in conservation planning. Contributions can spread from the relationships between diversity and ecosystem functions, and the benefits of natural systems for human well-being, to how ecosystems change in response to pressures, or how we can predict regime shifts and thresholds. Contributions will cover spatial, geographical, taxonomic, and functional changes in populations, habitats, and ecosystems. Particularly, the functional component of biodiversity has recently gained special attention in conservation science, being often positively related to ecosystem function and able to determine changes in a variety of ecosystem services.

Contributions may also include related topics such as new approaches for optimal monitoring and management of biodiversity at different scale, quantitative methods to assess the success of conservation actions, and causes of failure, as well as works related to communication and society involvement.

Assoc. Prof. Gabriella Buffa
Dr. Silvia Del Vecchio
Dr. Edy Fantinato
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. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

Keywords

  • Biodiversity conservation planning
  • Ecological processes
  • Ecosystem functioning
  • Public awareness
  • Spatial scales
  • Functional diversity

Published Papers (2 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

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 249 KiB  
Article
A Common Approach to the Conservation of Threatened Island Vascular Plants: First Results in the Mediterranean Basin
by Giuseppe Fenu, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Charalambos S. Christodoulou, Donatella Cogoni, Christini Fournaraki, Giusso del Galdo Gian Pietro, Panagiota Gotsiou, Angelos Kyratzis, Carole Piazza, Magdalena Vicens and Bertrand de Montmollin
Diversity 2020, 12(4), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040157 - 18 Apr 2020
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 5782
Abstract
The Mediterranean islands represent a center of vascular plant diversity featuring a high rate of endemic richness. Such richness is highly threatened, however, with many plants facing the risk of extinction and in need of urgent protection measures. The CARE-MEDIFLORA project promoted the [...] Read more.
The Mediterranean islands represent a center of vascular plant diversity featuring a high rate of endemic richness. Such richness is highly threatened, however, with many plants facing the risk of extinction and in need of urgent protection measures. The CARE-MEDIFLORA project promoted the use of ex situ collections to experiment with in situ active actions for threatened plants. Based on common criteria, a priority list of target plant species was elaborated, and germplasm conservation, curation and storage in seed banks was carried out. Accessions were duplicated in the seed banks of the partners or other institutions. Germination experiments were carried out on a selected group of threatened species. A total of 740 accessions from 429 vascular plants were stored in seed banks, and 410 seed germination experiments for 283 plants species were completed; a total of 63 in situ conservation actions were implemented, adopting different methodological protocols. For each conservation program, a specific monitoring protocol was implemented in collaboration with local and regional authorities. This project represents the first attempt to develop common strategies and an opportunity to join methods and methodologies focused on the conservation of threatened plants in unique natural laboratories such as the Mediterranean islands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Situ and Ex Situ Biodiversity Conservation)

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 1645 KiB  
Review
In-Situ and Ex-Situ Biodiversity Conservation in Ecuador: A Review of Policies, Actions and Challenges
by Carlos Mestanza-Ramón, Sujan M. Henkanaththegedara, Paola Vásconez Duchicela, Yadira Vargas Tierras, Maritza Sánchez Capa, Diana Constante Mejía, Mirian Jimenez Gutierrez, Manuel Charco Guamán and Paúl Mestanza Ramón
Diversity 2020, 12(8), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12080315 - 17 Aug 2020
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 13874
Abstract
Biodiversity is vital for the stability of the planet; its ecosystem services provide essential elements for our survival and well-being. This review analyzes the national biodiversity policies and describes the main strategies for biodiversity conservation in Ecuador, one of the “mega-diverse” countries in [...] Read more.
Biodiversity is vital for the stability of the planet; its ecosystem services provide essential elements for our survival and well-being. This review analyzes the national biodiversity policies and describes the main strategies for biodiversity conservation in Ecuador, one of the “mega-diverse” countries in the world with the highest species density. It deepens an analysis of in-situ and ex-situ conservation processes. Ecuador has six clear policies for biodiversity conservation. These policies strengthen biodiversity conservation through mechanisms that improve the well-being of wildlife by ensuring human, wildlife and ecosystem health. It promotes actions for the welfare of wildlife, through technical, administrative and legal tools. The National System of Protected Areas, with 60 protected areas, is the most effective in-situ conservation instrument at the country level. Several ex-situ conservation and management means for the conservation of wild species are being utilized, including nurseries, botanical gardens, zoos, germplasm banks, aquariums, species reproduction and rehabilitation centers. Ecuador is making slow progress on ex-situ conservation despite the availability of a sound policy framework, possibly due to financial, infrastructural, and/or technological challenges, and knowledge gaps. We propose fostering international research collaborations and establishing fully funded small-scale captive breeding programs at zoos, aquariums and university research facilities to help recovery of at-risk species of reptiles, amphibians, fish and species beyond Galapagos region. We recommend utilizing citizen science programs to fill the gaps of biodiversity information and increasing efforts to revive the ex-situ conservation strategies in protecting the unique biodiversity of Ecuador. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Situ and Ex Situ Biodiversity Conservation)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop