Announcements

In March 2012, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the 21 March as the International Day of Forests, urging countries, international organizations, and the citizen sector to celebrate the value of all types of forests and raise global awareness of their irreplaceable ecological and economic significance. “Forests and Economies” is the theme for the International Day of Forests 2026, which highlights the pivotal role of forests in driving sustainable economic prosperity across the globe.

The International Day of Forests 2026 spotlights how forests underpin not only income and employment from renewable forest product production and trade but also sustain family and community agriculture, boost agricultural productivity, and safeguard healthy watersheds, all while offering nature-based solutions for a sustainable bioeconomy and mitigating climate change impacts. This year’s campaign advocates for the sustainable management of forests, uniting governments, researchers, forestry practitioners, and the public to unlock the dual ecological and economic value of forests for present and future generations together.

We hope that established MDPI journals in the field of Environmental & Earth Science will provide a valuable platform for the exchange of innovative ideas regarding sustainable forest management, forest-based climate change mitigation, and the development of forest-driven green economies.

Invited Speakers:

Dr. Himlal Baral, Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Indonesia	Dr. Natasha Ribeiro, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique

Free to register for this webinar here!

“Water Surface Loss and Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Biome by Farming Expansion and Weak Legislation”
by Anderson Targino da Silva Ferreira, Maria Carolina Hernandez Ribeiro, Regina Célia de Oliveira, Maurício Lamano Ferreira and Cassiano Gustavo Messias
Earth 2025, 6(3), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/earth6030108

“Valorization of Forest Biomass Through Biochar for Static Floating Applications in Agricultural Uses”
by Óscar González-Prieto, Luis Ortiz Torres and María Esther Costas Costas
Biomass 2025, 5(3), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomass5030044

“Applications of Machine Learning Methods in Sustainable Forest Management”
by Rogério Pinto Espíndola, Mayara Moledo Picanço, Lucio Pereira de Andrade and Nelson Francisco Favilla Ebecken
Climate 2025, 13(8), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13080159

“Trends and Applications of Principal Component Analysis in Forestry Research: A Literature and Bibliometric Review”
by Gabriel Murariu, Lucian Dinca and Dan Munteanu
Forests 2025, 16(7), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071155

“Landscape Ecological Integrity Assessment to Improve Protected Area Management of Forest Ecosystem”
by Mingquan Yu and Yizhen Liu
Ecologies 2025, 6(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020038

“Perception from a Public Survey of the Social–Ecological Effects of Wildfires in the Chiquitania Region of Bolivia”
by Oswaldo Maillard, Patricia Herrera, Nicolas Mielich and Claudia Venegas
Earth 2025, 6(2), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/earth6020032

“Advancements in Artificial Intelligence Applications for Forest Fire Prediction”
by Hui Liu, Lifu Shu, Xiaodong Liu, Pengle Cheng, Mingyu Wang and Ying Huan
Forests 2025, 16(4), 704; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16040704

“Harnessing Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning for Sustainable Forestry Management and Conservation: Transformative Potential and Future Perspectives”
by Taojing Wang, Yinyue Zuo, Teja Manda, Delight Hwarari and Liming Yang
Plants 2025, 14(7), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14070998

“Forest Soil Microbiomes: A Review of Key Research from 2003 to 2023”
by Aurelia Onet, Paola Grenni, Cristian Onet, Vlad Stoian and Vlad Crisan
Forests 2025, 16(1), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010148

“Forest Attribute Dynamics in Secondary Forests: Insights for Advancing Ecological Restoration and Transformative Territorial Management in the Amazon”
by Carlos H. Rodríguez-León, Armando Sterling, Amelia Trujillo-Briñez, Yerson D. Suárez-Córdoba and Lilia L. Roa-Fuentes
Diversity 2025, 17(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17010039

“Forest Loss Drivers and Landscape Pressures in a Northern Moroccan Protected Areas’ Network: Introducing a Novel Approach for Conservation Effectiveness Assessment”
by Hamid Boubekraoui, Zineb Attar, Yazid Maouni, Abdelilah Ghallab, Rabah Saidi and Abdelfettah Maouni
Conservation 2024, 4(3), 452-485; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation4030029

“Remote Sensing Technologies for Monitoring Argane Forest Stands: A Comprehensive Review”
by Mohamed Mouafik, Abdelghani Chakhchar, Mounir Fouad and Ahmed El Aboudi
Geographies 2024, 4(3), 441-461; https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies4030024

“High-Resolution Canopy Height Mapping: Integrating NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) with Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data”
by Cesar Alvites, Hannah O’Sullivan, Saverio Francini, Marco Marchetti, Giovanni Santopuoli, Gherardo Chirici, Bruno Lasserre, Michela Marignani and Erika Bazzato
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(7), 1281; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16071281

“Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Storage in Mangrove Forests in Southeastern Mexico”
by Carlos Roberto Ávila-Acosta, Marivel Domínguez-Domínguez, César Jesús Vázquez-Navarrete, Rocío Guadalupe Acosta-Pech and Pablo Martínez-Zurimendi
Resources 2024, 13(3), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13030041

“Silvicultural Practices for Forest Health, Function, and Resilience” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Zhongkui Jia, Prof. Dr. Luyi Ma and Prof. Dr. Zhong Chen Submission deadline: 20 June 2026	“Forestry Economy Sustainability and Ecosystem Governance” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Fanbin Kong and Dr. Caiyao Xu Submission deadline: 30 September 2026
“Microhabitat Diversity and Beetle Conservation in Managed Forests” Guest Editor: Dr. Francesco Parisi Submission deadline: 31 December 2026	“Strategic Forest-Based Sector Planning and Management in the Era of Bioeconomy, 2nd Edition” Guest Editors: Dr. Nikolay Neykov and Prof. Dr. Mariana Sedliačiková Submission deadline: 31 December 2026

MDPI will be attending the 6th ESP Europe Conference, which will be held from 18 to 22 May 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The theme of the 6th ESP Europe conference is “Advancing ecosystem services knowledge for achieving a nature and people positive Europe”. The conference will bring together scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to explore how ecosystem services can be harnessed to reduce social inequalities, strengthen climate resilience, and drive sustainable development. In light of ongoing implementation of new policies at national and EU levels, discussions will also examine how shifts in governance frameworks influence the integration of ecosystem services into decision-making, policy implementation, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

The following open access journals will be represented at this conference:

If you are planning to attend this event, please feel free to visit our booth and speak to our representatives. We look forward to meeting you in person and will assist you with any queries that you may have.

For more information about this conference, please visit the official website via https://www.espconference.org/europe2026/home.

We are delighted to share with you a reprint of the Special Issue published in January 2026 in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X), comprising 10 articles. You can access more Land Special Issue reprints at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/books/search.

If you are interested in editing a Special Issue, please apply at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

To commemorate the International Day of Forests 2026, MDPI is honored to host a special webinar dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness of the importance of all types of forests. This global observance reminds us of the vital role that forests play in combating climate change, sustaining our economies, and driving economic prosperity.

With the theme “Forests and Economies”, we aim to bring together researchers, educators, and practitioners to share insights, best practices, and collaborative solutions that can enhance the relationship between forests and economic development.

Join us as we celebrate the International Day of Forests 2026 and inspire action for a greener, healthier and more sustainable future for our forests and economies.

Date: 20 March 2026 at 10:00 a.m. CET | 5:00 p.m. CST Asia

Register now for free!

Program

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Invited Speakers:

• Dr. Himlal Baral, Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Indonesia;
• Dr. Natasha Ribeiro, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique.

Relevant Journal Cluster:
MDPI’s Journal Cluster of Ecosystem and Resource Management
MDPI’s journal cluster of ecosystem and resource management contains journals that focus on individual ecosystems (e.g., Forests) as well as ecology on a broader scale. The demand for biodiversity and conservation research is growing as the world shifts to more extreme climates, and MDPI’s journals on diversity and conservation will play a larger role in making scientific discoveries more accessible to all researchers across the world.

Relevant Special Issues:

“Silvicultural Practices for Forest Health, Function, and Resilience”
Guest Editors: Zhongkui Jia, Luyi Ma and Zhong Chen
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026

“Plant Biodiversity in Forest and Urban Ecosystems Under Climate Change: Monitoring, Environmental Impacts, Threats, Conservation, Management, and Economic Directions”
Guest Editors: Alexandra D. Solomou, Panagiotis Kouleli, Nikolaos Proutsos and Stefanos Tsiaras
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026

“Forestry Economy Sustainability and Ecosystem Governance”
Guest Editors: Fanbin Kong and Caiyao Xu
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026

“Using Remote Sensing to Assess and Monitor Changes in Forest Ecosystems”
Guest Editor: Ioannis P. Kokkoris
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026

“Intelligent Forest Fire Prediction and Detection: 2nd Edition”
Guest Editors: Demin Gao, Shuo Zhang and Cheng He
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026

“Advances in Vegetation Structure Modeling to Support Acquisition of Sustainable Development Goals Through Forest Management (Second Edition)”
Guest Editors: María Teresa Lamelas and Dario Domingo
Deadline for manuscript submissions:31 December 2026

“Microhabitat Diversity and Beetle Conservation in Managed Forests”
Guest Editor: Francesco Parisi
Deadline for manuscript submissions:31 December 2026

We are delighted to share with you a reprint of the Special Issue published in February 2026 in Land (ISSN: 2073-445X), comprising 8 articles. You can access more Land Special Issue reprints at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/books/search.

“Towards Healthy and Sustainable Human Settlement: The Ecological and Cultural Connation of Landsenses” Edited by Jiang Liu, Yuhan Shao and Xin-Chen Hong ISBN 978-3-7258-6820-9 (Hardback) ISBN 978-3-7258-6821-6 (PDF) Book DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-7258-6821-6 (registering) Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/books/reprint/12337-towards-healthy-and-sustainable-human-settlement

If you are interested in editing a Special Issue, please apply at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/land.

Conference: IALE-North America Annual Meeting 2026
Conference date: 26–30 April 2026
Location: Athens, USA

MDPI will participate as an exhibitor at the IALE-North America Annual Meeting 2026. We welcome researchers and professionals to visit our booth and engage with our team.

The IALE-North America Annual Meeting 2026 will be held under the theme “Landscape Ecology: Learning from the Past, Shaping Resilient Futures”. This event brings together experts and students from various disciplines, including ecology, geology, and urban planning. Highlights include hands-on workshops, plenary sessions, special symposia, oral presentations, and scientific excursions. It also offers numerous networking opportunities.

The following open access journals will be represented at the conference:

• Land;
• Conservation;
• Challenges;
• Urban Science;
• Journal of Parks;
• Environmental Remediation;
• IJGI;
• Geographies;
• Biosphere;
• Earth;
• Climate;
• World.

If you are planning to attend the above event, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information, please visit https://www.ialena.org/annual-meeting.html.

We are delighted to announce that Issue 2, Volume 15 of Land (ISSN: 2073-445X), was released in February 2026. The following is a list of partial articles which we believe will be of interest to you:

Cover Story:

“Soil Displacement Estimation from Integrated Sensing Technologies in Data-Driven Models Biased by Temporal Coherence of PS-InSAR” by Raffaele Tarantini, Gaetano Miraglia, Stefania Coccimiglio, Rosario Ceravolo and Giuseppe Andrea Ferro Land 2026, 15(2), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020296 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/296

Section: “Landscape Ecology”
“Landscape Character and Quality Assessment Through Map-Based Visibility Indicators: A Case Study in Western Crete, Greece“
by Georgios Lampropoulos, Evangelia G. Drakou and Dimitrios D. Alexakis
Land 2026, 15(2), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020327
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/327

Section: “Land, Soil and Water”
“Active Floodplain Sedimentation Dynamics in the Upper Tisza Region, Hungary, After River Regulation”
by Róbert Vass, Azin Rooien, Péter Czomba, Dávid Balázs, Beáta Babka and György Szabó
Land 2026, 15(2), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020322
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/322

Section: “Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues”
“A Remote Sensing Baseline and Time Sequence of Land Cover Change for the Conservation of Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia spp.) from the Bird’s Head Peninsula, Western New Guinea”
by Margaret Kalacska, Oliver Lucanus, Hans Georg Evers and Juan Pablo Arroyo-Mora
Land 2026, 15(2), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020332
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/332

Section: “Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions”
“Knowledge Concerning Land Management for Metropolitan Governance in the U.S.A.”
by Carlos J. L. Balsas
Land 2026, 15(2), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020290
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/290

Section: “Land–Climate Interactions”
“A Risky and Potentially Costly Future: Implications of Climate-Induced Changes in Groundwater and Flooding for Coastal Dairy Farming in New Zealand”
by Paula Holland, Zoe Qu, Zeb Etheridge, Christo Rautenbach and Chris C. Tanner
Land 2026, 15(2), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020341 
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/341

Section: “Landscape Archaeology”
“Understanding the Formation of a Mediterranean Landscape: Medieval Rural Land and Settlements in Catalonia”
by Jordi Bolòs
Land 2026, 15(2), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020225
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/225

Section: “Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing”
“Impact of Global Changes on the Habitat in a Protected Area: A Twenty-Year Diachronic Analysis in Aspromonte National Park (Southern Italy)”
by Antonio Morabito, Domenico Caridi and Giovanni Spampinato
Land 2026, 15(2), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020235
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/235

Section: “Land Use, Impact Assessment and Sustainability”
“Citrus Orchard Abandonment Reduces the Economic Value of Carbon Sequestration in a Mediterranean Climate: An Economic Assessment Using the InVEST Model”
by Gila Abílio João, Kevin Alain Salamanca Lopez, Hewlley Maria Acioli Imbuzeiro, Daniela Vanella, Giuseppe Longo Minnolo, Simona Consoli and Gustavo Bastos Lyra
Land 2026, 15(2), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020241
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/241

Section: “Water, Energy, Land and Food (WELF) Nexus”
“Evaluation and Prediction of the Water–Energy–Food–Land Nexus: A Case Study of Shanxi Province, China”
by Xiaochen Zhao, Lingling Feng, Bowen Sun, Meiting Yan, Lanjun Li and Lu Xia
Land 2026, 15(2), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020312
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/312

Section: “Land – Observation and Monitoring”
“Soil Displacement Estimation from Integrated Sensing Technologies in Data-Driven Models Biased by Temporal Coherence of PS-InSAR”
by Raffaele Tarantini, Gaetano Miraglia, Stefania Coccimiglio, Rosario Ceravolo and Giuseppe and rea Ferro
Land 2026, 15(2), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020296
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/296

Section: “Land Innovations – Data and Machine Learning”
“From Analytical Detection to Spatial Prediction: LC–MS and Machine Learning Approaches for Glyphosate Monitoring in Interconnected Land–Soil–Water Systems”
by Annamaria Ragonese and Carmine Massarelli
Land 2026, 15(2), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020303
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/303

Section: “Land Planning and Landscape Architecture”
“Active City Master Plans: A Methodology to Promote Active Behavior and Health via Urban Planning—Lessons from the Torrelodones (Spain) Pilot Study”
by Carlos F. Lahoz Palacio, José Antonio Blasco Abad, Robert Bauer, Ainara Martínez Solano, Alfonso Arroyo Lorenzo and Alfonso Jiménez
Land 2026, 15(2), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020289
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/289

General
“Precise Extraction of Croplands from Remote Sensing Images in Egypt by a Dual-Encoder U-Net with Multi-Scale Axial Attention and Boundary Constraints”
by Yong Li, Han Ding, Heiko Balzter, Vagner Ferreira, Ying Ge, Hongyan Wang, Huiyu Zhou, Tengbo Sun, Lulu Shi, Meiyun Lai and Xiuhui Liu
Land 2026, 15(2), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020305
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/305

“Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Water Erosion in the Tafna Watershed (Algeria) Using the RUSLE Model and Bias-Corrected Rainfall Data (1983–2023)”
 by Soumia Manel Hachemi, Abdesselam Megnounif, Madani Bessedik and Navneet Kumar
Land 2026, 15(2), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020217
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/217

“Balancing Productivity and Ecosystem Services in Major Crops Under Intensive Management in a Semi-Arid Region, Iran”
by Saeed Sharafi, Deirdre Dragovich and Maryam Lorvand
Land 2026, 15(2), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020345
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/345

We are delighted to share some papers on land water and ecosystem research that were published in our journal Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) in 2024-2026. In addition, some Special Issues related to this topic are currently open for submission.

The following is a list of articles and Special Issues that we believe will interest you:

1. “A Review on the Use of Geodesign Processes in Managing Flood Vulnerability”
by Bo Pang and Brian Deal
Land 2024, 13(6), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060723 

2. “Building Resilience through Territorial Planning: Water Management Infrastructure and Settlement Design in the Coastal Wetlands of Northern Apulia (Salpia vetus-Salapia) from the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity”
by Roberto Goffredo and Darian Marie Totten
Land 2024, 13(10), 1550; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101550

3. “Leaching Efficiency During Autumn Irrigation in China’s Arid Hetao Plain as Influenced by the Depth of Shallow Saline Groundwater and Irrigation Depth, Using Data from Static Water-Table Lysimeters and the Hydrus-1D and SIMDualKc Models”
by Tiago B. Ramos, Meihan Liu, Haibin Shi, Paula Paredes and Luis S. Pereira
Land 2024, 13(11), 1797; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111797

4. “Urban Stormwater Management Using Nature-Based Solutions: A Review and Conceptual Model of Floodable Parks”
by Silvia Martín Muñoz, Simon Elliott, Jonas Schoelynck and Jan Staes
Land 2024, 13(11), 1858; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111858

5. “Integrated Assessment of Metal Contamination of Soils, Sediments, and Runoff Water in a Dry Riverbed from a Mining Area Under Torrential Rain Events”
by José Cuevas, Ángel Faz, Silvia Martínez-Martínez, Juan Beltrá and José A. Acosta
Land 2024, 13(11), 1892; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111892

6. “New Method for Hydraulic Characterization of Variably Saturated Zone in Peatland-Dominated Permafrost Mires”
by Radhakrishna Bangalore Lakshmiprasad, Stephan Peth, Susanne K. Woche and Thomas Graf
Land 2024, 13(12), 1990; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13121990

7. “Uncertainty Modelling of Groundwater-Dependent Vegetation”
by Todd P. Robinson, Lewis Trotter and Grant W. Wardell-Johnson
Land 2024, 13(12), 2208; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122208

8. “Assessing Macrophyte and Ecosystem Service Changes in Shallow Eutrophic Coastal Waters Using Remote Sensing Methods”
by Johanna Schumacher, David Horn, Gabriela Escobar-Sánchez, Greta Markfort, Gerald Schernewski and Mario von Weber
Land 2025, 14(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010004

9. “Legacy Vegetation and Drainage Features Influence Sediment Dynamics and Tidal Wetland Recovery After Managed Dyke Realignment”
by Samantha Crowell, Megan Elliott, Kailey Nichols, Danika van Proosdij, Emma Poirier, Jennie Graham, Tony Bowron and Jeremy Lundholm
Land 2025, 14(3), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030456

10. “Sustainable Stormwater Management and Bioretention: An Overview of Reviews of the Last 10 Years”
by Livia Bonciarelli, Fabio Orlandi, Desirée Muscas and Marco Fornaciari
Land 2025, 14(4), 736; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040736

11. “How Land Use and Hydrological Characteristics Impact Stream Conditions in Impaired Ecosystems”
by Se-Rin Park, Yujin Park, Jong-Won Lee, Hyunji Kim, Kyung-A You and Sang-Woo Lee
Land 2025, 14(4), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040829

12. “Water–Energy–Land–Food Nexus to Assess the Environmental Impacts from Coal Mining”
by Reginaldo Geremias and Naoki Masuhara
Land 2025, 14(7), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071360

13. “Beyond the Flow: The Many Facets of Gazelle Valley Park (Jerusalem), an Urban Nature-Based Solution for Flood Mitigation in a Mediterranean Climate”
by Yoav Ben Dor, Galit Sharabi, Raz Nussbaum, Sabri Alian, Efrat Morin, Elyasaf Freiman, Amanda Lind, Inbal Shemesh, Amir Balaban, Rami Ozinsky et al.
Land 2025, 14(11), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14112174

14. “Revealing “Unequal Natures”—The Paradox of Water Vulnerability for People on the Periphery of Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico”
by Grecia Casanova-Madera, Tlacaelel Rivera-Núñez, Birgit Schmook, Sophie Calmé, Dolores Ofelia Molina-Rosales and Rehema M. White
Land 2026, 15(1), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15010124

15. “Modeling Water and Salt Dynamics by HYDRUS 2D/3D Under Drip- and Surface-Irrigated Carrot in Arid Regions”
by Warda Tlig, Dario Autovino, Fathia El Mokh, Kamel Nagaz and Massimo Iovino
Land 2026, 15(1), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15010197

Special Issues:

• “Land-Use Impacts on Water Resources and Watershed Management”
  Guest Editors: Łukasz Borek, Joanna Jaskuła and Věra Hubačíková
  Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

• “Young Researchers in Land, Soil, and Water”
  Guest Editors: Deirdre Dragovich and Nick B. Comerford
  Submission deadline: 31 May 2026

• “Water, Energy, Land, and Food (WELF) Nexus: An Ecosystems Perspective”
  Guest Editors: Reginaldo Geremias and Naoki Masuhara
  Submission deadline: 30 June 2026 

MDPI will attend the International Symposium on Remote Sensing 2026, which will take place from 13 to 15 May in Shimane, Japan.

This congress will be held at the Kunibiki Messe (Shimane Prefectural Convention Center) and is organized by RSSJ, CSPRS, KSRS, JSPRS.

ISRS 2026 focuses on advancing remote sensing technologies for environmental assessment, disaster monitoring, and emerging data-driven services in Asia.

Jointly organized through the long-standing collaboration among KSRS, CSPRS, and RSSJ, the symposium serves as a key platform to strengthen regional cooperation among leading Asian remote sensing communities.

The conference provides a multidisciplinary and cross-sector forum for researchers, data users, and service providers to exchange knowledge and foster innovation. It addresses pressing societal challenges—such as natural disasters and environmental change—while also exploring new business opportunities driven by small satellite constellations and artificial intelligence. ISRS 2026 particularly aims to promote collaboration among the next generation of scientists and professionals in the field.

The following open access journals will be represented:

• Land;
• Remote Sensing;
• Drones;
• Data;
• J. Imaging;
• Geomatics;
• IJGI.

MDPI is honored to announce the recipients of the 2025 Best Paper Awards, celebrating exceptional research for its scientific merit and broad impact. After a rigorous evaluation process conducted by Academic Editors, this year’s awards showcase papers that stand out for their innovation, relevance, and high-quality presentation.

Out of a highly competitive pool, 396 winning papers have been recognized for their exceptional contributions. We congratulate these authors for pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines.

At MDPI, we are dedicated to broadening the reach of innovative science. To learn more about the award-winning papers and explore research projects in your field of study, please visit the following links:

• Biology and Life Sciences;
• Business and Economics;
• Chemistry and Materials Sciences;
• Computer Sciences and Mathematics;
• Engineering;
• Environmental and Earth Sciences;
• Medicine and Pharmacology;
• Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities;
• Physical Sciences;
• Public Health and Healthcare.

About MDPI Awards:

To reward the global research community and enhance academic dialogue, MDPI journals regularly host award programs across diverse scientific disciplines. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and whose work drives the advancement of their fields.

Explore the Best Paper Awards open for participation, please click here.