Biodiversity and natural capital in ecologically sensitive regions

Biodiversity and natural capital support economic systems, human well-being and climate resilience. Yet conservation and planning have focused mainly on visible ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and agricultural landscapes, while overlooking belowground biodiversity and the complex interactions between rural and rapidly urbanizing regions. This Collection analyses species, community and microbiome responses to environmental gradients, management interventions and climate constraints, and the effects of these responses on productivity, habitat quality, ecosystem functioning and natural capital. Several contributions highlight that climate-adapted seed sourcing in grand fir can maintain forest growth and carbon sequestration under changing moisture regimes, and that diverse multi-crops in boreal conditions raise biomass and net energy yields while lowering environmental pressures. Other studies introduce integrated indicators such as habitat quality indices for wetland waterfowl, soil functional networks in shaded coffee systems centred on total organic carbon, and multidimensional niche assessments for zooplankton communities. Together, these papers demonstrate complementary approaches for treating biodiversity as natural capital and for sustaining the ecosystem services that support human well-being, sustainable production and informed conservation and management decisions.