Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
Biodiversity and Conservation
ISSN 0960-3115 · eISSN 1572-9710 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1992
Biodiversity and Conservation: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.58; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 194 days to acceptance (113 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 215 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biodiversity and Conservation is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Species Distribution and Climate Change and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, together about 45.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Founded in 1992, Biodiversity and Conservation is an international journal that publishes articles on all aspects of biological diversity, its conservation, and sustainable use. It is multidisciplinary and covers living organisms of all kinds in any habitat, focusing on studies using novel or little-used approaches, and ones from less studied biodiversity rich regions or habitats. It also features rapid assessment approaches, the estimation of species numbers and diversity (by traditional, molecular, or proxy indicator methods), habitat management, conservation policy and regulations, threats, biodiversity loss, extinctions, and the documenting of long-term changes, and ex-situ conservation. It includes reviews, research papers, editorials, commentaries, and letters, and sometimes whole issues devote to particular topics. In addition, the journal provides a forum for examining conflicts between conservation, sustainable development, and human dependence on biodiversity in agriculture, environmental management, and biotechnology, and encourages contributions from developing countries to promote broad global perspectives on matters of biodiversity and conservation. Devoted to the publication of articles on all aspects of biological diversity and conservation International in scope and coverage Covers all kinds of life on Earth Welcomes contributions from less developed but biodiversity rich countries to ensure a global perspective 14 issues per year with full color figures Continuous Article Publishing Note that, unless of value as case studies using novel approaches, the journal rarely accepts papers on single species not of major importance or concern, or studies documenting local biodiversity. It does not consider checklists, taxonomic revisions, descriptions of new species, base-line studies, or captive breeding.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editor-in-chief Akihiro NakamuraPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 14%); most named Mainland China 10, United Kingdom 7, Brazil 6, Italy 5, United States 4 (71 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science20.5%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science13%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science12%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.2%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science5%
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.9%
- Botany and Plant Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences2.6%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science2.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.58LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.38LetPub ·
- h-index
- 114LetPub ·
- h-index
- 194OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,766OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 46.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 196LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,600,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,477 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 263 | 181 | 127 |
| 2025 | 215 | 123 | 576 |
| 2024 | 247 | 117 | 1,716 |
| 2023 | 226 | 142 | 2,770 |
| 2022 | 194 | 103 | 2,734 |
| 2021 | 250 | 112 | 4,929 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
194 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 121 days – 256 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (113 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 218 days
- Sample
- 113 articles with submission and acceptance dates (538 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- 9–18 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 50 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- case studyOriginal Research (9,000): Manuscripts which are based on newly generated data which has not previously been published or new analyses of existing data sets. To…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal Research (9,000): Manuscripts which are based on newly generated data which has not previously been published or new analyses of existing data sets. To…Length not stated
- perspectiveOriginal Research (9,000): Manuscripts which are based on newly generated data which has not previously been published or new analyses of existing data sets. To…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal Research (9,000): Manuscripts which are based on newly generated data which has not previously been published or new analyses of existing data sets. To…Length not stated
- review articleOriginal Research (9,000): Manuscripts which are based on newly generated data which has not previously been published or new analyses of existing data sets. To…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Biodiversity and Conservation, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0960-3115
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9710
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biodiversity and Conservation
What CAS zone is Biodiversity and Conservation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biodiversity and Conservation is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology / Environmental Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Biodiversity and Conservation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.58; CiteScore 6, h-index 194.
How long does peer review take at Biodiversity and Conservation?
Based on the dates recorded on 113 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 194 days (interquartile range 121–256 days); authors report an average review time of 9–18 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Biodiversity and Conservation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Biodiversity and Conservation based?
Of the 71 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (10), United Kingdom (7) and Brazil (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biodiversity and Conservation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biodiversity and Conservation is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Biodiversity and Conservation open access, and what is the APC?
Biodiversity and Conservation is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .