The Journal of Environmental Science and Management (JESAM) featured articles in the fields of biodiversity, water resources, pollution and environmental technology for its 1^st Issue under Volume 26. JESAM is an international refereed scientific journal indexed by Web of Science and Scopus produced semi-annually by the University of the Philippines Los Baños School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB-SESAM).

Water use in various sectors were highlighted in two papers considering the climate variability and socio-economic factors. One paper discussed sectoral water utilization vis-à-vis development pressures in a small island ecotourism municipality in the Philippines whereas another paper expounded on challenges in adopting irrigation practices by farmers in a region in Tanzania. Water is an important resource and a valuable commodity that needs to be sustainably managed.

Tools on biodiversity monitoring and conservation that can be used in determining proper conservation and management strategies in specific species or locality were presented in three papers. Use of MaxEnt in predicting species occurrence of Litsea leytensis Merr in several provinces in the Philippines were highlighted in an article in this issue. Whereas another paper presented how community inclusion plays a vital role in validating threatened species in a coastal wetland ecosystem of Negros Occidental. Species inventory of present riparian vegetation that aids in remediating water quality degraded river was highlighted in one article. 

An article on pollution studies were also included in the recent issue. A study on presence of radionuclides and toxic metals in mining areas of Niger State, Nigeria identified areas needing remedial action and appropriate monitoring to avoid further environmental and health impacts. An article characterizing spatio-temporal soundscape in China’s cultural towns was attributed to the urban functions and crowd activities of the area. This is necessary in development planning of the area while considering cultural preservation.

An article on evaluation of longevity of biological media for stormwater improvement from the United Kingdom was also included in this issue. Different stormwater biofilters were evaluated as sustainable solution for urban runoff management and water quality improvement. The authors stated that use of this technology contributes to sustainable stormwater management practices for environmental protection, pollution reduction and promote well-being of the communities.

JESAM is among the five Philippine-based journals included in the 2021 Clarivate Analytics Journal Citation Report with current Impact Factor of 0.517.  JESAM accepts submission of research articles on environmental topics and issues. Full articles in this issue may be accessed at Journal of Environmental Science and Management (uplb.edu.ph).###  (CBGigantone)