Journal of Applied Ecology publishes novel, broad-reaching papers on the interface between ecological science and the management of the natural environment. We cover all ecological realms and themes in applied ecology, with a focus on addressing the acute global challenges of mitigating and adapting to climate change, conserving biodiversity, and promoting nature’s multifaceted contributions to people. We are particularly interested in articles that use ecological science to inform the policies and practices that (i) mitigate the impact of major anthropogenic stressors, such as habitat loss and ecosystem degradation, invasives, climate change, fire, overexploitation, etc, and (ii) show how nature can be managed to improve well being and sustainability in natural and modified systems.

While we focus primarily on studies involving free-living and non agricultural species, we consider papers involving cultivated species (e.g. crops), domestic species (e.g. livestock), or managed species (e.g. honey bees or farmed fish) as long as they have implications for the management of the natural environment.

We aim to be inclusive of novel approaches and non-standard research, and welcome a range of article types (e.g. reviews, practitioner’s perspectives, policy directions, and forum articles challenging existing work); contributions with a methodological focus that have strong potential to change the way applied ecology is conducted; and studies testing ideas outside of field settings, such as laboratory experiments and modeling, as long as they advance the discipline of applied ecology and provide recommendations that inform the management of the natural environment.