Publication Ethics

Editorial Commitment

The journal follows widely used publication-ethics principles: transparent editorial processes, fair peer review, accurate attribution, correction of the scholarly record, and separation between editorial decisions and commercial or institutional interests.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to contributors who made substantial scholarly contributions, approved the submitted version, and agree to be accountable for their part of the work. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with permission. The corresponding author should confirm that all listed authors have approved submission.

Competing Interests

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, personal, institutional, intellectual, professional, or political relationships that could influence the work. Editors with conflicts must recuse themselves from handling the manuscript.

Field-Specific Ethics

Research involving communities, indigenous knowledge, field sites, biodiversity, or development interventions must address permissions, benefit sharing, confidentiality, and local risks.

Where ethics approval was not required, authors should explain why. Where permission, consent, safety approval, field access, or trial registration is required by the field, the manuscript should state the approving body, identifier where available, and relevant dates.

Data Integrity and Image Integrity

Authors must not fabricate, falsify, selectively suppress, or inappropriately manipulate data, images, figures, tables, code, or references. Adjustments to images or data should be disclosed when they affect interpretation. Raw or source files may be requested during assessment.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal may publish corrections for honest errors, expressions of concern for unresolved serious doubts, and retractions for unreliable findings, misconduct, unethical research, plagiarism, or duplicate publication. Notices should remain linked to the original article and explain the reason clearly.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly quality, relevance to environmental sustainability and development, ethical compliance, and the strength of evidence. No fee, sponsorship, partnership, or institutional relationship may guarantee review or acceptance.