As humanity sits at an existential crossroads, this book introduces the need to build a nature-positive future to secure the functioning and stability of Earth systems essential to the survival and wellbeing of present and future human generations as well as the rest of Earth's amazing diversity of life. Alongside the change in climate, a more silent but equally terrifying crisis is unfolding: the loss of nature and biodiversity. These twin crises are in fact interconnected. After decades of ignoring our impacts on the natural world, we are beginning to realise that nature conservation is a security issue for humanity, and an imperative for intersectional and intergenerational justice. For these reasons, we must embrace a transition from a nature-negative to a nature-positive society, one that ensures human development and addresses today’s inequality, while conserving, restoring and sustainably benefiting from nature's resources and services. A Nature Positive future is one with more nature than today: more forests, more fish, more pollinators, more soil biodiversity, with benefits for the Planet and for us. In this book we define what becoming Nature Positive means from a variety of perspectives, what it takes to deliver it and why it is possible and, most importantly, necessary. This book is essential reading for those concerned with conserving nature and securing a safe future for humanity in the face of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and ecological collapse. The future can be bright. The choice is ours.

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This volume assembles papers that provide empirical evidence for the success or otherwise of landscape and community or local government managed initiatives to conserve biodiversity. The papers report successful biodiversity conservation projects that have operated at those scales as well as documenting cases where these approaches were attempted but were less successful. The papers identify the conditions under which these local and landscape approaches have succeeded and those under which they have been less successful.

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African ecosystems comprise a wealthy repository of biodiversity, with a high proportion of native and endemic plant species, which makes them biologically unique and providers of a wide range of ecosystem services. A large part of African populations, in both rural and urban areas, depend on plants for their survival and welfare, but many ecosystems are being degraded, mostly due to the growing impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic actions and environmental problems. Loss of habitat and biodiversity affects livelihoods, water supply and food security and reduces the resilience of ecosystems in the African continent. The knowledge about the great African plant and ecosystem diversity, and the structure, composition and processes involved in vegetation dynamics, is crucial to promote their sustainable use and to preserve one of the most understudied regions in the world. This Special Issue aimed to gather contributions that update and improve such knowledge.

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“This compact book argues that ideas about accountability and legitimation – drawn from work on environmental governance – can open up new analytical perspectives on what is holding back effective energy system transformation. With bite-size chapters and illustrative cases that draw on the work of five expert witnesses, this is a novel intervention into debates over the politics of energy transition.”-Professor Gavin Bridge, Durham University, UK“The book theorizes and advances the research frontier on legitimation practices and accountability with a carefully crafted analysis bridging scholarly fields of environmental governance, political economy, energy research and democratic theory. It is a must-read for all students and scholars interested in shaping more legitimate, democratic and accountable energy transition from the local to global context.”-Professor Karin Bäckstrand, Stockholm University, SwedenThis open access book reframes sustainable energy transitions as being a matter of resolving accountability crises. It demonstrates how the empirical study of several practices of legitimation can analytically deconstruct energy transitions, and presents a typology of these practices to help determine whether energy transitions contribute to sustainability.The real-world challenge of climate change requires sustainable energy transitions. This presents a crisis of accountability legitimated through situated practices in a wide range of cases including: solar energy transitions in Portugal, urban energy transitions in Germany, forestland conflicts in Indonesia, urban carbon emission targets in Norway, transport electrification in the Nordic region, and biodiversity conservation and energy extraction in the USA. By synthesising these cases, chapters identify various dimensions wherein practices of legitimation construct specific accountability relations. This book deftly illustrates the value of an analytical approach focused on accountable governance to enable sustainable energy transitions. It will be of great use to both academics and practitioners working in the field of energy transitions.Siddharth Sareen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation at the University of Bergen, Norway.

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“This compact book argues that ideas about accountability and legitimation – drawn from work on environmental governance – can open up new analytical perspectives on what is holding back effective energy system transformation. With bite-size chapters and illustrative cases that draw on the work of five expert witnesses, this is a novel intervention into debates over the politics of energy transition.”-Professor Gavin Bridge, Durham University, UK“The book theorizes and advances the research frontier on legitimation practices and accountability with a carefully crafted analysis bridging scholarly fields of environmental governance, political economy, energy research and democratic theory. It is a must-read for all students and scholars interested in shaping more legitimate, democratic and accountable energy transition from the local to global context.”-Professor Karin Bäckstrand, Stockholm University, SwedenThis open access book reframes sustainable energy transitions as being a matter of resolving accountability crises. It demonstrates how the empirical study of several practices of legitimation can analytically deconstruct energy transitions, and presents a typology of these practices to help determine whether energy transitions contribute to sustainability.The real-world challenge of climate change requires sustainable energy transitions. This presents a crisis of accountability legitimated through situated practices in a wide range of cases including: solar energy transitions in Portugal, urban energy transitions in Germany, forestland conflicts in Indonesia, urban carbon emission targets in Norway, transport electrification in the Nordic region, and biodiversity conservation and energy extraction in the USA. By synthesising these cases, chapters identify various dimensions wherein practices of legitimation construct specific accountability relations. This book deftly illustrates the value of an analytical approach focused on accountable governance to enable sustainable energy transitions. It will be of great use to both academics and practitioners working in the field of energy transitions.Siddharth Sareen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation at the University of Bergen, Norway.

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This open access book sheds new light on the critical role of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) in ensuring and enhancing ecological connectivity. Through a compilation of diverse case studies, it presents how integrated landscape and seascape management can support biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development. The chapters cover topics such as sustainable agricultural practices, forest protection, community involvement, and the preservation of traditional knowledge. It also includes the empowerment of communities to govern their natural resources, as seen in the Asunafo-Asutifi landscape of Ghana, and the integration of traditional wisdom with modern ecological practices in Nan’an. The book also investigates the potential of community forests in Thailand and the management of biocultural heritage territories in Kenya to enhance ecological connectivity. Readers will discover how these approaches contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of natural resources. Expert contributors delve into the challenges and opportunities of maintaining ecological connectivity in various regions, from Ghana's cocoa landscapes to Colombia’s tropical dry enclave. Readers will explore innovative approaches to balancing livelihoods with environmental sustainability, highlighting the importance of local and regional perspectives. This volume is essential for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in fields such as landscape ecology, environmental governance, and sustainable development. It provides valuable insights into effective strategies for operationalizing ecological connectivity in spatial planning and management. By showcasing practical examples from around the world, this book serves as a vital resource for anyone committed to fostering resilient social-ecological systems and thriving communities.

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In this paper on the distribution of carabids at high altitudes, the effect of Nature 2000 habitat and landform types in driving ground beetle (Carabidae) distribution at high altitudes in the Western Dolomites (Brenta group, Italy) was studied. Papers studying carabid beetles in forested habitats investigated the effect of different stand composition (pure oak stands, oak–pine mixed stands, single tree admixtures of oak in pine stands, and pure pine stands) on the abundance and spatial distribution of large-sized Carabus species, as well as the effect of forest type (broad-leaved deciduous forests vs. coniferous plantations) on the diversity and community composition of ground beetles; furthermore, the effect of various forest edges (natural vs. anthropogenic edges) on the abundance of ground beetles of different habitat affinity and dispersal power was examined. The paper on predation pressure aimed to explore the predation pressure on carabids using 3D-printed decoys installed in two types of forestry treatments, preparation cuts and clear cuts, and control plots in an oak–hornbeam forest.

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One of the highest priorities for human societies in the 21st century, under the challenges of predicted great environmental changes, is to conserve all kinds of biodiversity across the planet. Among all the biota that exist on Earth, forest ecosystems demonstrate a high degree of biodiversity, being thought to comprise the most diverse ecosystems, as most of the terrestrial species in the world dwell in these ecosystems. Forest biodiversity is interlinked to a web of socio-economic factors, providing an array of goods and services that range from timber and non-timber forest resources to mitigating climate change and conservation of genetic resources; therefore, it is innately linked to ecosystems and human well-being. However, in recent decades, the decrease in forest biodiversity has been a crucial and ongoing environmental issue that needs special attention and adapted ecosystem management. This Special Issue book on forest biodiversity (FB) includes a selected number of research works from all over the world dealing with emerging issues, for understanding FB and its needs for conservation, ecological processes, disturbances, climate change and ecosystems resilience, structural complexity and ecosystem functions, ecological theories and silvicultural practices, and ecosystems stability. More specifically, it includes papers focused on the indicators and methods for assessing and monitoring forest biodiversity, evaluation of practices, planting and silvicultural treatments, and management and monitoring methods, with an overall goal to provide new insights on forest biodiversity conservation, conservation of forest biodiversity in protected areas, treatments of endangered or threatened forest habitats, and sustainable management of forest resources.

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This open access book is a compilation of case studies that provide useful knowledge and lessons that derive from on-the-ground activities and contribute to policy recommendations, focusing on the relevance of social-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) to “transformative change.” The concept of “transformative change” has been gaining more attention to deal with today’s environmental and development problems, whereas both policy and scientific communities have been increasingly calling for transformative change toward sustainable society. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has planned to start the so-called “assessment on transformative change” if approved by the IPBES plenary to be held in 2021. At present, the idea of transformative change, including its scope, methodologies, approaches and strategies, are yet to be clarified. By bringing together all of the different concerns and interests in the land/seascape, SEPLS approaches could provide practical and experience-based insights for understanding and gauging transformative change and identifying determinants of such change. This book explores how SEPLS management relates to the idea of transformative change to further the discussion of sustainable transitions in advancing sustainability science. The introductory chapter is followed by case study chapters offering real-world examples of transformative change as well as a synthesis chapter clarifying the relevance of the case study findings to policy and academic discussions. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers and professionals in the fields related to sustainable development.

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This open access book is based on the research outputs of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) in 2020. It covers major topics of Chinese and international attention regarding green development, such as climate, biodiversity, ocean, BRI, urbanization, sustainable production and consumption, technology, finance, value chain, and so on. It also looks at the progress of China’s environmental and development policies，and the impacts from CCICED. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing insight for policy makers in environmental issues.

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Provides valuable insights for policy makers on environmental issues Enriches understanding of China’s green development concepts Reviews what China has done for green development This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access.

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A GMO-szabályozás számos kérdést vet fel, hullámai még az Alaptörvényig is elérnek. Megítélése mind tudományos, mind jogi szempontból kérdéses, így az ellentétes vélemények folyamatosan ütköznek, különösen azért, mert a valós következmények még manapság sem láthatóak át a maguk egészében, ezért a biztos alapok helyett inkább a különböző nézőpontok fognak dönteni. Amennyiben feltételezzük, hogy az innováció ezen útja hasznos, akkor félretesszük az óvatosságot – a WTO vagy az USA és számos más ország inkább efelé hajlik –, másik lehetőségként vagy az elővigyázatosság, vagy a szükséges óvatosság alapján korlátokat szükséges felállítani – ezen utóbbi az úton járt az EU, és jár Magyarország. Az Unió megítélése az utóbbi években mintha elmozdult volna az eddigi korlátoktól. A tudományos vagy jogi szempontok mellett azonban mindenképpen etikai szempontok is megjelennek, amelyek a katolikus egyház tanítása keretében a teremtésvédelem területén belül láthatók legjobban. Az értekezés végigvezet minket azon az úton, mit is jelent a GMO és milyen fejlődési története van, melyek a teremtésvédelmi megfontolások és azok az Egyházon belül milyen lépések mentén erősödtek meg az elmúlt évtizedekben, feltárva a tanítás valós tartalmát, amely a teremtett világgal szembeni felelősségünkre világít rá. Ennek folytán a fenti generális alapok mellett a társadalmi tanítás alapjait is bemutatja. A jogi kérdések sorában pedig leginkább a haza jogi megközelítést is megalapozó EU-szabályozásra kerül a fókusz, annak történetére, gyakorlatára és folyamatban lévő alakulására.

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A GMO-szabályozás számos kérdést vet fel, hullámai még az Alaptörvényig is elérnek. Megítélése mind tudományos, mind jogi szempontból kérdéses, így az ellentétes vélemények folyamatosan ütköznek, különösen azért, mert a valós következmények még manapság sem láthatóak át a maguk egészében, ezért a biztos alapok helyett inkább a különböző nézőpontok fognak dönteni. Amennyiben feltételezzük, hogy az innováció ezen útja hasznos, akkor félretesszük az óvatosságot – a WTO vagy az USA és számos más ország inkább efelé hajlik –, másik lehetőségként vagy az elővigyázatosság, vagy a szükséges óvatosság alapján korlátokat szükséges felállítani – ezen utóbbi az úton járt az EU, és jár Magyarország. Az Unió megítélése az utóbbi években mintha elmozdult volna az eddigi korlátoktól. A tudományos vagy jogi szempontok mellett azonban mindenképpen etikai szempontok is megjelennek, amelyek a katolikus egyház tanítása keretében a teremtésvédelem területén belül láthatók legjobban. Az értekezés végigvezet minket azon az úton, mit is jelent a GMO és milyen fejlődési története van, melyek a teremtésvédelmi megfontolások és azok az Egyházon belül milyen lépések mentén erősödtek meg az elmúlt évtizedekben, feltárva a tanítás valós tartalmát, amely a teremtett világgal szembeni felelősségünkre világít rá. Ennek folytán a fenti generális alapok mellett a társadalmi tanítás alapjait is bemutatja. A jogi kérdések sorában pedig leginkább a haza jogi megközelítést is megalapozó EU-szabályozásra kerül a fókusz, annak történetére, gyakorlatára és folyamatban lévő alakulására.

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Understanding the patterns of biodiversity and their relationship with environmental gradients is a key issue in ecological research and conservation in forests. Several environmental factors can influence species distributions in these complex ecosystems. It is therefore important to distinguish the effects of natural factors from the anthropogenic ones (e.g., environmental pollution, climate change, and forest management) by adopting reliable models able to predict future scenarios of species distribution. In the last 20 years, the use of statistical tools, such as Species Distribution Models (SDM) or Ecological Niche Models (ENM), allowed researchers to make great strides in the subject, with hundreds of scientific research works in this field. This book collects several research articles where these methodological approaches are the starting point to deepen the knowledge in many timely and emerging topics in forest ecosystems around the world, from Eurasia to America.

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This reprint focuses on fundamental and applied research on national parks and protected areas. The destruction and degradation of nature undermine biodiversity and human well-being. Protected areas (including national parks) represent one of the best ways to safeguard nature and preserve biodiversity for the benefit of all life on Earth. Protected areas put the focus on nature conservation while providing various types of ecosystem services and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this reprint, special attention is given to wilderness quality, connectivity conservation and ecological networks, ecosystem services, community participation, tourism and other relevant topics.

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Forest ecosystems are important habitats for a vast number of species worldwide. These ecosystems are degrading faster than they are regenerating, due to the increased demand for natural resources. In order to protect these ecosystems, the designation of Protected Areas (PAs) has become the primary policy tool for forest conservation. The articles included in this book explore challenges and opportunities within forest PAs, focusing on four main themes. The first theme refers to current initiatives in forest management across the world, reflecting the efforts of several organizations in halting deforestation. Major challenges are also identified, reflecting the declining rates of forest coverage across the world. A second theme refers to policy planning processes withing existing governance frameworks focusing, in particular, on the level of engagement of local stakeholders. A third theme of the book refers to social equity and how the impacts of forest PAs are distributed among different users. A final theme in the SI refers to potential solutions in order to halt the loss of biodiversity within forest ecosystems. Several directions are proposed by the authors that can be useful for policy makers and practitioners, especially in the context of the 30 by 30 targets.

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This Special Issue focused on the "Technologies, Applications, and Assessments for Proper Sustainable Forest Operations (SFOs)". One of the main topics was to promote knowledge for future relations between forest logging, environmental protection, and management of forests in order to provide timber at reasonable costs and other ecosystem services, such as recreation and conservation as well as biodiversity. This Special Issue contains 12 original papers, some of them reporting the outcomes of long-time experiences, reviewed by international experts in forestry and forest operations engineering fields. This Special Issue aims to increase the knowledge concerning the SFOs, with practical implications at scientific and technical levels. This Special Issue collected a representative sample of the most recent papers on the subject, which come from many different countries and cover a variety of subjects, confirming the wide scope covered by the Sustainable Forest Operations topic.

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The management of wildlife populations and their habitats are interdisciplinary fields that encompass many scientific disciplines that also impact the lives of people. Therefore, these are truly applied sciences where human dimensions play an important role.This book highlights the importance of conducting rigorous studies to design and implement the effective management and restoration of wild populations and their habitats. A new paradigm in conservation is developing that goes beyond the boundaries of protected areas to achieve the goal of sustainable development. The 16 papers in this book, including reviews and a project report, cover a broad range of topics, exploring a diversity of subjects that are representative of current practices and novel applications.We would like to thank both the MDPI publishers and editorial staff for their support and help during the process of editing this book, in addition to the authors for their contributions.

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