The Journal of Wildlife Science (JWLS) and Conservation Asia Congress Nepal 2026 are pleased to announce a forthcoming collaborative Special Issue of JWLS on “Conservation in Multi-Use Landscapes.” This issue will feature the research, dialogue, and conservation advances shared at CAC Nepal 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal (3–5 June 2026), carrying forward the main theme of the CAC, “Harmonising Biodiversity and Human Well-being in Asia.”
Across Asia, conservation increasingly unfolds in landscapes shaped by multiple and overlapping human uses. Biodiversity today persists not only within formally protected areas, but also in agricultural systems, grazed rangelands, managed forests, wetlands, river valleys, infrastructure networks, extractive-use zones, and peri-urban spaces. These multi-use landscapes are often where conservation challenges are most immediate, but also where innovative solutions are emerging.
This Special Issue aims to bring together high-quality contributions that address the science and practice of conserving biodiversity in working landscapes across Asia. We particularly encourage submissions that bridge ecological understanding with governance, livelihoods, restoration, planning, coexistence, and applied conservation action.
Special Issue Editorial Team
Hana Raza
Founder, Chairperson, Leopards Beyond Borders, Iraq
Hem Bahadur Katuwal
Assistant Professor, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, China
Munib Khanyari
Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation
Themes & Scope
We welcome submissions focused on conservation in multi-use landscapes across Asia, including but not limited to a broad range of topics such as:
- biodiversity conservation in agricultural, pastoral, forested, and production landscapes
- human–wildlife coexistence and conflict in shared spaces
- connectivity, corridors, and landscape-scale conservation outside protected areas
- restoration and ecological recovery in modified ecosystems
- infrastructure, development, and land-use change
- community-led and locally grounded conservation approaches
- governance, institutions, and policy for multi-use landscapes
- monitoring, analytical, and data-driven approaches for complex landscapes
- social, cultural, and economic dimensions of landscape conservation
- case studies, syntheses, and interdisciplinary perspectives from Asia
Manuscripts may include original research articles, reviews, perspectives, short communications, and synthesis papers.
Submission Guidelines
Submission Deadline: 31st December 2026
Authors should submit manuscripts through the JWLS submission system following the journal’s standard author guidelines.
Please include the following statement in the cover letter and at the top of the title page: “Submission for Special Issue—Conservation in Multi-Use Landscapes”.
Publication Charges
JWLS follows a Diamond Open Access model: free to authors and free to readers. There are no APCs, and all published articles are openly accessible
For detailed author guidelines and submission procedures, visit the JWLS website (https://jwls.in/author-guidelines/).
Why publish with JWLS?
Diamond Open Access: No publication fees for authors and no paywalls for readers.
Rapid Review & Publication: JWLS maintains a fast editorial turnaround while ensuring rigorous peer review.
Focused visibility: A dedicated platform for scholarship on Asia’s rapidly changing conservation landscapes.
Broad relevance: The Special Issue builds on the wider dialogue and collaborative energy of CAC Nepal 2026. The congress is explicitly framed as a space for sharing research, tools, and solutions among researchers, practitioners, managers, and policymakers across Asia.
Inclusive publishing: We welcome submissions from researchers across all geographies and career stages, and particularly encourage contributions from authors in low- and middle-income countries and from historically underrepresented communities
Contact
For queries related to submission or suitability of manuscripts, please write to:
info@jwls.in
