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Sustainability
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Plants, Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecosystem
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Plants, Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecosystem

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2024) | Viewed by 2321

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luca Lombardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CREA Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, 87036 Rende, Italy
Interests: agricultural sustainability; plant biotechnology; biodiversity; plant physiology; plant biology
Dr. Samanta Zelasco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CREA Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, 87036 Rende, Italy
Interests: plant biotechnology; biodiversity; plant physiology; plant biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today, it is widely accepted that the idea of sustainably using environmental resources that guarantees income, equity and dignity for workers (summarized as "sustainable development") is inevitably the pathway for a “healthier” and fairer world. Thus, the concept of sustainability has now occupied a central theme in government strategies and business orientation of companies, as well as in the decision-making process of consumers who are increasingly attentive to environmental, socio-ethical and food quality issues. However, there is a need to develop a multidisciplinary approach, which incorporates a wide spectrum of tangible and intangible values, to analyze the notion of sustainable development from different perspectives.

Agroecosystems, alongside their notable economic and sometimes socio-cultural importance, carry out several valuable ecosystem functions which help to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change. Among others, they act as preferential habitats for animal and plant species, especially in marginal areas, and they protect steeply sloping soils from erosion and landslide. However, agroecosystems can also cause certain environmental issues such as waste of fresh water and greenhouse gases emission. Moreover, dispersion of agrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides) can have harmful/toxic effects on non-target organisms (including humans), while the use of chemical fertilizers engender eutrophication of water bodies, soil acidification and even air pollution through the biogeochemical cycle of elements.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the sustainable development of agroecosystems, and invites papers that provide a comprehensive and updated analysis of traditional and innovative strategies/management systems aimed at evaluating and increasing the level of sustainability of natural and food production-related plant ecosystems.

We welcome submissions of original research articles and reviews in the following areas (this list is not exhaustive):

  • Protection of non-renewable resources and biodiversity;
  • Soil management;
  • Water management;
  • Plant management;
  • Agrochemical use;
  • Management of areas of high ecosystem value;
  • Protection and restoration of habitats for threatened species;
  • Employment of eco-sustainable materials;
  • Protection of monumental trees;
  • Analysis of the post-primary production phases (packaging and distribution processes);
  • Contribution to the economic development of the local community;
  • Working conditions of employees;
  • Traceability and nutritional quality.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Luca Lombardo
Dr. Samanta Zelasco
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.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • biodiversity
  • plant ecosystems

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2419 KiB  
Article
Adaptive Grazing of Native Grasslands Provides Ecosystem Services and Reduces Economic Instability for Livestock Systems in the Flooding Pampa, Argentina
by Elizabeth J. Jacobo, Ulises J. Martínez Ortiz, Santiago M. Cotroneo and Adriana M. Rodríguez
Sustainability 2024, 16(10), 4229; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104229 - 17 May 2024
Viewed by 685
Abstract
There is a widespread concern about the negative impact of intensive livestock farming on climate change and biodiversity loss. We analyzed the trade-off between meat production and environmental variables related to global warming—energy consumption, use efficiency of energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon [...] Read more.
There is a widespread concern about the negative impact of intensive livestock farming on climate change and biodiversity loss. We analyzed the trade-off between meat production and environmental variables related to global warming—energy consumption, use efficiency of energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon footprint, and GHG balance—of two alternative intensification strategies of livestock farming in the Flooding Pampa: conventional intensification (CI) based on external inputs, and ecological intensification (EI) based on maintaining native grassland in good condition through adaptive multi-paddock grazing (AMPG). We also explored the relationship between meat production and the economic variables gross margin and its year-to-year variation. Energy consumption was positively correlated with meat production (ρ = 0.95, p = 0.0117), and EI farms consumed less fuel energy and showed higher energy use efficiency than CI farms (294 ± 152 vs. 2740 ± 442 MJ ha−1 y−1, 38.4 ± 28.8 vs. 1.23 ± 0.13 MJ kg LW−1 y−1, p < 0.05, respectively). GHG emissions and carbon footprint did not show significant differences between EI and CI strategies. As soil carbon sequestration was significantly higher in EI farms than in CI farms (1676 ± 304 vs. −433 ± 343 kg CO2eq ha−1 y−1, p < 0.05), GHG balance resulted almost neutral and higher under the EI strategy (−693 ± 732 vs. −3520 ± 774 kg CO2eq ha−1 y−1, p < 0.05). CI strategy obtained higher meat production but a similar gross margin to the EI strategy and a more unstable economic return, as the coefficient of variation in the gross margin doubled that of the EI strategy (84 + 13.3 vs. 43 + 2.6, respectively, p < 0.05). Ecological intensification of cattle production in the Flooding Pampa demonstrates the potential for a positive relationship between individual cattle farmers’ profits and overall societal benefits, as reflected in improved environmental performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants, Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecosystem)
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17 pages, 2322 KiB  
Article
Ethnobotanical Investigation of Mimusops zeyheri, an Underutilized Indigenous Fruit Tree in Gauteng Province, South Africa
by Maropeng Erica Matlala, Peter Tshepiso Ndhlovu, Salmina N. Mokgehle and Wilfred Otang-Mbeng
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041410 - 7 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1318
Abstract
In developing countries, the livelihoods of millions of households heavily rely on wild fruit products to meet their basic needs. With its many nutritious assets, Mimusops zeyheri could, therefore, be valued as a natural resource for fighting hunger, poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity [...] Read more.
In developing countries, the livelihoods of millions of households heavily rely on wild fruit products to meet their basic needs. With its many nutritious assets, Mimusops zeyheri could, therefore, be valued as a natural resource for fighting hunger, poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity in developing countries. Indigenous fruit trees remain underutilized and harvested in the wild, with few cultivated sustainably. The study aimed to explore and document the various uses of M. zeyheri. Using face-to-face, semi-structured questionnaires, an ethnobotanical survey was collected among 53 participants using purposive sampling in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Descriptive statistics and ethnobotanical indices, such as Use Value (UV) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), were used for analysis. M. zeyheri was reported to have various uses, which included but was not limited to food and medicine. It was found that the most commonly used plant components were fruits (47%) and leaves (22%). Decoction (39%) was the most popular method of preparation. M. zeyheri has become scarce in the surveyed communities, presumably due to extensive habitat destruction caused by population increases. Therefore, due to its scarcity, it does not significantly improve the livelihoods or overall well-being of local communities. This study suggests that M. zeyheri could improve food and economic security if thoroughly investigated and cultivated on a large scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants, Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecosystem)
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