Ecosystem services assessments to improve management of marine habitats, amphibians and reptiles, forest biodiversity and silviculture, and medicinal plants

In this Issue, a great diversity of article types can be found, ranging from short research papers to research letters and reviews, in addition to several regular research papers. Topic-wise the papers are equally diverse. More ‘traditional’ topics of the journal are dealt with by Vidyarthi et al. (2013) and Lawal and Adekunle (2013), respectively, presenting novel findings from India and Nigeria on the influence of land use and ecosystem management on biodiversity. Papers by Ezebilo (2013) and Krause and Zambonino (2013) follow up on papers that have been recently published in this journal, in which the role of local knowledge and support for biodiversity conservation was highlighted (see Van Oudenhoven & De Groot (2012, 2013) for more information). The papers provide the latest insights from conservation programs in Nigeria and the Ecuadorian Amazon. Finally, three relatively underexplored topics are discussed. Kaltenborn et al. (2013) discuss the perception of hunters on their role in ecosystem management. Carollo et al. (2013) report on an expert workshop in which an attempt was made to link marine habitat type classifications with ecosystem services. Valencia-Aguilar et al. (2013) present the first comprehensive overview of ecosystem services that can be directly or indirectly contributed to amphibians and reptiles.