Guest Editors for Frontiers in Marine Science
The open-access peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science has invited METAS team members as guest topic editors for the topic: Using Traditional, Emergent Technological and Analytical Tools to conserve and restore coastal ecosystems across the Tropical and Subtropical Atlantic.
METAS guest editors are:
-Carlos Toledo Hernández, Ph.D.
-Alex Mercado Molina, Ph.D.
-Claudia P. Ruiz Diaz, Ph.D.
-Rolando Santos, Ph.D.
Manuscript Submission Deadline is October 2, 2026.
Background
In the face of the rapid degradation of tropical and subtropical critical coastal habitats, such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, marshlands, the integration of traditional practices in ecology, habitat restoration and community-based management with innovative approaches i.e., remote sensing and artificial intelligence, is of paramount importance. This should be of particular usefulness in highly vulnerable and sensitive regions such as the Caribbean and other tropical and subtropical areas. The combination between traditional and innovative approaches drives from the promotion of interdisciplinary collaborations to identify gap knowledge and thereby strengthen the understanding of the current pressures these ecosystems currently face and the development of better strategies to improve their resilience.
The aim to address the urgent challenge posed by the rapid degradation of coastal tropical and subtropical ecosystems driven by accelerating climatic and anthropogenic pressures should be encompassed by approaches that integrate multiple disciplines that incorporate traditional and innovative technological advanced tools. Despite substantial advances in ecological monitoring, restoration practices, and community-based management, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding how to effectively integrate these approaches with emerging tools such as remote sensing, ecological modeling, artificial intelligence, and multi-scale data analytics, especially due to the fragmentation of research across biological disciplines. This Research Topic seeks to consolidate recent scientific progress using integrative approaches, evaluate methodological innovations for studying tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems, and identify barriers that limit the detection of environmental change and the assessment of intervention effectiveness. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting evidence-based adaptive strategies, the initiative aims to enhance the resilience and long-term sustainability of vulnerable coastal socio-ecological systems throughout the compilation and synthesis of available integrative research efforts.
This Research Topic invites contributions that advance the understanding, monitoring, and management of coastal ecosystems undergoing rapid environmental change, with particular emphasis on mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and other subtropical coastal ecosystems. We welcome submissions that integrate conventional ecological monitoring with emerging approaches, including but not limited to, remote sensing, ecological modelling, genetic and metabolomic tools, artificial intelligence, and multi-scale data analytics. Manuscripts assessing restoration outcomes, conservation strategies, and socio-ecological or community-based initiatives aimed at strengthening ecosystem resilience are also encouraged. We are particularly interested in studies that introduce methodological innovations, conduct cross-system comparisons, develop early-warning indicators, or propose strategies to address critical knowledge gaps in vulnerable biogeographic regions. A broad range of contributions is welcome, including original research articles and data-driven case studies that offer actionable insights to support the long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems.
