SPECIAL PARKS ISSUE “PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS: THEIR IMPORTANCE TO NATURE AND PEOPLE “TO BE LAUNCHED AT THE WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS (WCC), OCTOBER 2025
This year’s gathering of the WCC in Abu Dhabi will tackle five crucial themes that are intended to push the transformative changes needed to secure a sustainable future for nature and people: Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action; Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks; Delivering on Equity; Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies; and Disruptive Innovation and Leadership for Conservation. To embrace this opportunity, we are launching a special volume of PARKS at the WCC to showcase the integral role of parks and protected areas in delivering these themes. While we plan several invited papers, the editorial team welcomes ideas for contributions (please contact the managing editor with ideas). We are especially interested in papers from the global south and those that combine science with traditional knowledge. We hope to underscore the potential for parks and protected areas to increase benefits to people and be at the forefront of inclusive conservation, to test new forms of governance and financing, promote nature-based solutions, and increase our ability to reverse biodiversity loss.
Our special volume will replace the issue normally released in November 2025; the next ‘open’ issue will be May 2026. We will need all ideas submitted no later than 1 April; for accepted topics and invited papers, first drafts should be no longer than 6000 words and submitted by 1 June for a timely review process. We anticipate the special issue to be published in late September and launched in early October at the WCC. We look forward to hearing from you and working together on this exciting PARKs issue!