Social and Cultural Benefits of Forests Contributing to Human Health and Well-Being

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 102

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
Interests: karst geomorphology and speleology; ecosystem function and service; natural world heritage conservation and desertification control
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Co-Guest Editor
School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: karst rural settlements; megacity resilience; traditional Chinese geography

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Guest Editor Assistant
Guizhou Forestry Survey and Planning Institute, Guiyang, China
Interests: karst desertification control; degraded forest ecosystems restoration; cultivation of Rosa roxburghii Tratt; survey and monitoring of grassland resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an indispensable and important component of terrestrial ecosystems, forests provide diverse ecosystem services and products to human society. For those areas where important forest management has been implemented, such as karst desertification control areas, the relationship between forest ecosystems and human society is even more complex and close. Numerous research studies have been carried out on forest ecosystem functions, but mostly from an ecological perspective, neglecting the social and cultural contributions. Therefore, we look forward to some comprehensive analysis on how forest ecosystems have profound impacts on human health and well-being from a social and cultural perspective. This Special Issue welcomes studies bringing new data and methods about (1) social and cultural values of forest ecosystem services; (2) forest ecosystem health development; (3) forest governance strategies under the social–ecological system framework; (4) mechanisms of forests for community resilience; (5) mechanisms of coupling forest ecosystems and human well-being; and (6) pathways for forest eco-industry development and enhancement. Based on this, it is hoped that this Special Issue will provide a solid foundation for these theoretical insights by collecting and analyzing rich empirical data and case studies, so as to provide policy makers, practitioners, and the public with a new understanding of the value of forests.

Prof. Dr. Kangning Xiong
Dr. Xiaofang Zhou
Guest Editors

Dr. Mingjun Li
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Forests 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

  • forest ecosystem services
  • forest management and restoration
  • social and cultural benefits
  • forest eco-industry
  • human well-being
  • social–ecological system model simulation

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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