Dynamics of Land Use Change: Ecological Conservation, Restoration Strategies, and Carbon Balance

Natural ecosystems in both urban and rural areas serve as essential carbon sinks, significantly influencing global carbon dynamics. Ecological conservation and restoration increase environmental carrying capacity and carbon sequestration. However, poorly implemented methods could cause ecological risks, reducing the effectiveness of carbon sinks and potentially leading to increased carbon emissions. Among the available tools, land use/cover change (LUCC) serves as a principal method for assessing carbon sink/emission variations brought about by ecological activities. Despite numerous studies leveraging LUCC to evaluate ecosystem functionality and carbon dynamics, substantial gaps prevail in understanding the carbon sink/source implications of ecological measures in diverse settings.

This Research Topic aims to probe into the intricate relationships among ecological protection, restoration, LUCC, and carbon balance. It strives to address the following objectives: quantifying the mechanisms governing carbon balance in ecological projects via LUCC transitions, evaluating the carbon sink potential alongside biodiversity benefits of conservation efforts, analyzing multiscale socioeconomic and natural drivers influencing LUCC with an eye towards identifying low-carbon opportunities to resolve human-land conflicts, and developing spatial optimization techniques that merge technologies like remote sensing, scenario based modeling, and simulations to strategically identify carbon sink hotspots and craft carbon-neutral planning instruments.

To gather further insights in the interaction between LUCC and ecological restoration and protection, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Spatial-temporal dynamics of land use/cover change (LUCC) and their impact on carbon cycles
• Carbon sink potential and biodiversity benefits of ecological projects
• Role of urban-rural land system interactions in natural ecosystems restoration and carbon emissions
• Socioeconomic determinants contributing to LUCC and subsequent carbon emissions
• Mechanism of enhancing social ecological resilience on emission reduction
• Scenario based modeling for achieving carbon balance
• Innovations in spatial optimization and policy tools aimed at carbon neutrality in land management
• Methodologies using global case studies and policy scenario modeling
We are inviting contributions from a wide range of disciplines including ecology, geography, environmental management, and economics to enrich this Research Topic.