Journal profile · Ecology
Journal for Nature Conservation
ISSN 1617-1381 · eISSN 1618-1093 · Urban und Fischer Verlag GmbH und Co. KG · GERMANY · Quarterly · Founded 2002
Journal for Nature Conservation: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.64; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,890; review about 144 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy (Elsevier website: 20%); 335 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal for Nature Conservation is published by Urban und Fischer Verlag GmbH und Co. KG and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies and Species Distribution and Climate Change, together about 41.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal for Nature Conservation addresses concepts, methods and techniques for nature conservation. This international and interdisciplinary journal encourages collaboration between scientists and practitioners, including the integration of biodiversity issues with social and economic concepts. Therefore, conceptual, technical and methodological papers, as well as reviews, research papers, and short communications are welcomed from a wide range of disciplines, including theoretical ecology, landscape ecology, restoration ecology, ecological modelling, and others, provided that there is a clear connection and immediate relevance to nature conservation.Manuscripts without any immediate conservation context, such as inventories, distribution modelling, genetic studies, animal behaviour, plant physiology, will not be considered for this journal; though such data may be useful for conservationists and managers in the future, this is outside of the current scope of the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Nir BeckerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Spain 5, Italy 4, Austria 4, United States 2, Slovenia 2 (29 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science15.5%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science13%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science12.6%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.3%
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and ConservationEnvironmental Science4%
- Economic and Environmental ValuationEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 2.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 83OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,035OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.85%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 322LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,325 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 208 | 99 | 53 |
| 2025 | 335 | 106 | 719 |
| 2024 | 221 | 83 | 1,189 |
| 2023 | 180 | 67 | 1,512 |
| 2022 | 163 | 63 | 1,980 |
| 2021 | 131 | 48 | 1,739 |
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 PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 20%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 68 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 144 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,890 / EUR 2,700 / GBP 2,310 / JPY 358,450 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,160 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Abstract max 250 words Model summary
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Urban und Fischer Verlag GmbH und Co. KG
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2002
- ISSN
- 1617-1381
- Electronic ISSN
- 1618-1093
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal for Nature Conservation
What CAS zone is Journal for Nature Conservation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal for Nature Conservation is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal for Nature Conservation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.64; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 83.
How long does peer review take at Journal for Nature Conservation?
The publisher reports about 144 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of over 36 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy (Elsevier website: 20%)”. 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 Journal for Nature Conservation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Highlights: 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 Journal for Nature Conservation based?
Of the 29 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Spain (5), Italy (4) and Austria (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal for Nature Conservation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal for Nature Conservation is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal for Nature Conservation open access, and what is the APC?
Journal for Nature Conservation is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,890.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .