Topical collection information

• Geomorphology
• Climatology and climate change
• Hydrology and water resources
• Landscape studies and environmental protection
• Demographic issues and policies
• Problems of urbanized territories
• Regional inequalities, regional development and politics
• Development of rural areas
• Remote sensing

Topical collection information

Climate crisis, societal change and geopolitics are increasingly combining to make achieving water security ever more challenging. Conversely, sustainable and secure water systems are increasingly recognised as core to achieving sustainable outcomes in other domains such as food production, urbanisation and women's empowerment. And, as yet, there is relatively little attention paid to the countries of Eastern Europe, especially those around the Black Sea basin and in the Balkans. We propose a permanent topical collection on “regional water security issues”, which could include papers covering:

• Climate models showing changes in water availability
• Reflections on the impacts of the above for hazard and risk
• Regional and sub-regional papers – e.g. western Balkans, eastern Balkans, distinctions between Danube plain and other catchments
• Urban water issues
• Challenges for particular communities such as Roma, ethnic minorities
• Food, water, energy nexus
• Transboundary water sharing.

All accepted papers will be immediately published within the currently opened issues.

Topical collection information

Journal of the Bulgarian Geographical Society presents a topical collection of articles based on the conference "Advances in Geosciences for Smart Transformation" which is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Geology and Geography, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in 2023. As well as the 135th anniversary of the establishment of Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski“; the 130th anniversary of the first lecture in Geology; 125th anniversary of the first lecture in Geography; 50th anniversary of the Department of Landscape Ecology and Environmental Protection; 50th anniversary of the Department of Climatology, Hydrology and Geomorphology; 55th anniversary of the creation of Tourism Program and 50th anniversary of Geography of Tourism Department.
Our world faces many common natural, economic, and societal challenges that can only be dealt with through global action, understanding and sharing. The topical collection will focus on the central role that geography plays in developing transformation through the regions and the world.
The aim of this collection is to provide an important channel for the exchange of knowledge and experiences among researchers, highlighting essential findings and contributions in the following fields of studies (same as the conference thematic sessions):

• Teaching and Education in Geography
• Geology
• Tourism
• Human Geography
• Economic and Social Geography
• Climatology and Hydrology
• Landscape Ecology and Environmental Protection
• Regional Geography
• Urban Studies and Regional Development
• Geospatial Technologie

Topical collection information

South-East Europe (SEE) has the greatest richness of flora and fauna in Europe and an exceptional number of endemic and relict species. However, biodiversity in SEE is under pressure by a range of environmental threats. SEE countries also share similar problems regarding economy, society and nature. Adoption and application of environmental policies, regulations and standards is still poor in many of these countries. Furthermore, there is general lack of awareness of the values of biodiversity to society. What is needed, is an approach that ensures sustainable and equitable local-regional development while securing the conservation of biodiversity.

Ecosystem services (ES) is becoming recognized in South-East Europe as a valuable concept for nature conservation and sustainable development. Universities and research centers as well as international development organizations in the region have conducted research of various size, scope and duration into ES. While some countries have incorporated ES into their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and other policies, overall adoption and implementation across sectors and covering various levels of governance remains limited. This is especially the case at lower levels of government and with management of Protected Areas (PA) at local levels. This is due to various reasons including a lack of knowledge on ES, skepticism, lack of capacities and a deficiency of case studies and showcases that illustrate the value of the concept of ecosystem services in sustainable land use and the management of natural resources. In the meanwhile, a substantial body of knowledge, new methodologies, classification systems, etc. on ES is being developed which makes the learning curve for countries in South-East Europe steeper and more challenging to confront.

The main objective of the topical collection is to bring together researchers and practitioners from the region to publish their achievements and discuss how to fill knowledge gaps. One of the options to cope with the lack of capacities in the region is to develop a networking platform to facilitate transnational cooperation through a Community of Practice (CoP) in SEE. It will be a network and a platform for transnational collaboration and it will provide: knowledge transfer and capacity building through various means. The proposed CoP will contribute to the region’s preparation and adoption of various EU policies such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the EU green deal, the EU pollination initiative, and furthermore to facilitate the achievement of Sustainable development goals (SDG).

We invite authors to present advancements in the application of the ecosystem services concept in South-Eastern Europe in relation to:

• Application of ES concept in real-world case studies with stakeholders and end-users;
• Mapping and assessment of ES for sustainable decision-making;
• Good and bad practices in the implementation of ES products in various aspects and nature conservation and biodiversity issues;
• Multiscale mapping and modeling of ES (from cities to landscape).