Ecological Security and Ecological Disasters: Defining the Fields and Applications for the Future Environmental Resilience and Conservation

The idea of ecological security, where large-scale environmental impacts are communicated as a threat to functioning ecosystems and human systems, has been around for many decades. Likewise, as ecological disturbances that may lead to substantial disruption to, or even collapse of, an ecosystem are being framed more often as ecological disasters that may have long-term and far-reaching impacts. While there are arguments on both sides for the characterization of ecological disturbances as threats or even disasters, the study of the resilience of ecosystems, species, or populations of plants and animals to large-scale changes, is a growing field in the backdrop the climate change and rapid environmental change.

This Research Topic will explore the topic of ecological impacts from potentially large scale, rapid, or irreversible events that can be characterized as being catastrophic to species or ecological communities. These events may include those driven by climate change, rapid ecosystem or population collapse, infectious disease, large-scale species invasions, or other large-scale events. Research priorities in the future may focus on the impacts of such ecological events or changes in respect to the effects on humans, and particularly vulnerable human populations, economic impacts from irreversible ecosystem events, how species adapt or resilience in ecosystems, or mitigations. Concept papers or case studies that help define the emerging field of disaster ecology are also welcome.

We are particularly interested in papers that empirically investigate examples of ecological impacts from large-scale events that could impact the security of natural resources to a region or nation.

1) Accounts of ecological disturbances that have been irreversible in a long-term sense or linked to population, community, or species extinction.
2) Case studies of specific examples that can help define the field of ecological security or disasters in respect to resilience, mitigations, and environmental conservation.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Ecological Security, Ecological Disaster, Environmental Resilience

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.