Biodiversity Conservation (BIC)

Section Information

Biodiversity Conservation focuses on understanding, protecting, and restoring the variety of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. It links ecology, evolution, social sciences, and policy to safeguard natural systems that support food, water, climate regulation, cultural values, and human well-being.

Rapid habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, and climate change are altering ecosystems and increasing extinction risk. Effective conservation requires sound data, clear priorities, inclusive governance, and actions that work across protected areas, working landscapes, seascapes, and urban environments.

This section will publish research articles, case studies, and reviews on biodiversity patterns, drivers of change, conservation planning, restoration, conservation genetics, community-based approaches, nature-based solutions, and tools that support fair, effective, and climate-resilient biodiversity conservation.

Scope

Patterns and Assessment of Biodiversity
- Species richness, composition, and community structure
- Functional and phylogenetic diversity
- Endemism, rarity, and extinction risk
- Field surveys, inventories, and baselines
Drivers of Biodiversity Loss and Risk
- Habitat loss, fragmentation, and land-use change
- Overexploitation of wildlife and biological resources
- Invasive alien species, pollution, and disease
- Impacts of climate variability and long-term change
Conservation Planning, Prioritization, and Protected Areas
- Systematic conservation planning and gap analysis
- Design and management of protected and conserved areas
- Key biodiversity areas and other priority sites
- Governance models and effectiveness assessments
Landscape, Seascape, and Connectivity Conservation
- Ecological corridors and connectivity conservation
- Conservation in production landscapes and seascapes
- Urban biodiversity and green–blue infrastructure
- Cross-boundary and transfrontier conservation initiatives
Restoration Ecology and Rewilding
- Restoration of degraded habitats and ecosystems
- Reintroduction, reinforcement, and translocation of species
- Rewilding concepts and trophic restoration
- Monitoring outcomes and long-term recovery trajectories
Conservation Genetics and Genomics
- Genetic diversity, inbreeding, and adaptation
- Population structure, connectivity, and gene flow
- Use of molecular tools in management and forensics
- Genomic approaches for small and threatened populations
Communities, Governance, and Policy
- Community-based and co-managed conservation
- Indigenous and local knowledge in conservation practice
- Access, equity, and benefit-sharing arrangements
- Laws, agreements, and policy instruments for biodiversity
Ecosystem Services, Nature-based Solutions, and Climate
- Links between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods
- Nature-based solutions for mitigation and adaptation
- Trade-offs and synergies among conservation and development goals
- Valuation, incentives, and finance for conservation actions
Monitoring, Indicators, and Decision-support Tools
- Biodiversity indicators and tracking of targets
- Remote sensing, GIS, and spatial analysis for conservation
- Models, scenarios, and risk assessments
- Decision-support tools and data platforms for managers