Open Access Finder

75 free-to-publish Scopus journals in Ecology

75 peer-reviewed journals in the SCImago category Ecology charge no APC and no other author fees, according to the DOAJ. The quartile shown is the journal’s quartile in this category (not its best one elsewhere): 5 are Q1 and 14 Q2 here. Data snapshot: October 2026.

75journals with no APC
5Q1 in this category
14Q2 in this category
56Q3 or Q4 in this category

Of the Scopus-ranked journals here, 31% are Q1 or Q2 (site-wide: 40%). Their median self-reported time from submission to publication is 16 weeks. Most are published in Italy (7), Spain (6) and Poland (6). 99% accept manuscripts in English and 43% accept at least one other language.

All 75 free-to-publish journals in Ecology

Sorted by best SCImago quartile, then SJR. Click a column header to sort by it; click a second column to add a tiebreak. The search box narrows the list. Time to publish is the journal’s own DOAJ figure (average weeks from submission to publication).

#JournalQuartileSJRH-indexPublisherCountryTime to publish
1Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
2530-0644
Q11.37655ElsevierNetherlands45 wk
2Journal of Political Ecology
1073-0451
Q11.18748University of Arizona LibrariesUnited States17 wk
3Environmental Humanities
2201-1919
Q11.07224Duke University PressUnited States20 wk
4Aquaculture and Fisheries
2468-550X
Q10.90141KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.China19 wk
5Web Ecology
2193-3081 · 1399-1183
Q10.76826Copernicus PublicationsGermany17 wk
6iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
1971-7458
Q20.51344Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)Italy40 wk
7Water Science
1110-4929 · 2357-0008
Q20.50731Springer NatureSwitzerland18 wk
8Journal of Landscape Ecology
1805-4196
Q20.49721SciendoPoland16 wk
9Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems
1961-9502
Q20.47541EDP SciencesFrance12 wk
10Biogeographia
1594-7629 · 2475-5257
Q20.4713eScholarship Publishing, University of CaliforniaUnited States28 wk
11Mires and Peat
1819-754X
Q20.4627International Mire Conservation Group and International Peatland SocietyGermany50 wk
12Journal of Pollination Ecology
1920-7603
Q20.44811Enviroquest Ltd.Canada17 wk
13Limnetica
0213-8409 · 1989-1806
Q20.44641Asociación Ibérica de LimnologíaSpain24 wk
14Annals of Forest Research
1844-8135 · 2065-2445
Q20.41929‘Marin Drăcea’ National Research-Development Institute in ForestryRomania12 wk
15Ecología Austral
0327-5477 · 1667-782X
Q20.39737Asociación Argentina de EcologíaArgentina47 wk
16Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics
1611-8014
Q20.38825Inter-ResearchGermany40 wk
17Folia Oecologica
1338-7014
Q20.38817SciendoPoland38 wk
18Annals of Silvicultural Research
2284-354X
Q20.38718Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria - Research Centre for Forestry and WoodItaly20 wk
19Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука
2500-008X
Q20.38320Fund for Support and Development of Protected Areas "Bear Land"Russia20 wk
20Mediterranean Botany
2603-9109
Q30.37521Universidad Complutense de MadridSpain12 wk
21Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
2179-975X
Q30.36829Associação Brasileira de LimnologiaBrazil50 wk
22Fennia: International Journal of Geography
0015-0010 · 1798-5617
Q30.36130Geographical Society of FinlandFinland16 wk
23New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science
0048-0134 · 1179-5395
Q30.34439ScionNew Zealand39 wk
24Polish Polar Research
0138-0338 · 2081-8262
Q30.3437Polish Academy of SciencesPoland26 wk
25Botanica Pacifica
2226-4701 · 2410-3713
Q30.33913FEB RAS, Botanical Garden-InstituteRussia6 wk
26Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science
0856-860X · 2683-6416
Q30.3399Western Indian Ocean Marine Science AssociationTanzania40 wk
27Ecology, Economy and Society – The INSEE Journal
2581-6152 · 2581-6101
Q30.3229Nandan NawnIndia14 wk
28Fragmenta entomologica
0429-288X · 2284-4880
Q30.31812University La Sapienza of RomeItaly10 wk
29Natura Croatica
1330-0520 · 1848-7386
Q30.30325Croatian Natural History MuseumCroatia20 wk
30Геология и геофизика Юга России
2221-3198 · 2686-7486
Q30.29711Vladikavkaz Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Geophysical InstituteRussia8 wk
31NAMMCO Scientific Publications
1560-2206 · 2309-2491
Q30.2869Septentrio Academic PublishingNorway40 wk
32Вісник Харківського національного університету імені В.Н. Каразіна. Серія Геологія. Географія. Екологія
2410-7360 · 2411-3913
Q30.2845V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National UniversityUkraine6 wk
33Botanica
2538-8649 · 2538-8657
Q30.2759Nature Research CentreLithuania10 wk
34Turczaninowia
1560-7259 · 1560-7267
Q30.27214Altay State UniversityRussia12 wk
35The Holistic Approach to Environment
1848-0071
Q30.277Association for Promotion of Holistic Approach to EnvironmentCroatia10 wk
36Croatian Journal of Fisheries
1330-061X · 1848-0586
Q30.26419SciendoPoland10 wk
37Revista de Estudios Latinoamericanos sobre Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres
0719-8477
Q30.2628Corporación Gestión de Riesgos y Desastres GRID-ChileChile8 wk
38Wildfowl
0954-6324 · 2052-6458
Q30.26127Wildfowl PressUnited Kingdom90 wk
39Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity
2287-884X · 2287-9544
Q30.25930ElsevierNetherlands10 wk
40Aestimum
1592-6117 · 1724-2118
Q30.25717Firenze University PressItaly12 wk
41Squalen
2089-5690 · 2406-9272
Q30.25311Kementerian Kelautan dan PerikananIndonesia16 wk
42Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina
0373-5680 · 1851-7471
Q30.2459Sociedad Entomológica ArgentinaArgentina20 wk
43Theriologia Ukrainica
2616-7379 · 2617-1120
Q30.2435National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. National Museum of Natural HistoryUkraine25 wk
44Поволжский экологический журнал
1684-7318 · 2541-8963
Q30.2416KMK Scientific Press Ltd.Russia9 wk
45Ecosistemas
1132-6344 · 1697-2473
Q30.23427Asociación Española de Ecología TerrestreSpain5 wk
46Physio-Géo
1958-573X
Q30.2327Physio-GéoFrance10 wk
47European Journal of Ecology
1339-8474
Q30.23116University of Kansas LibrariesUnited States11 wk
48Flora Montiberica
1138-5952 · 1988-799X
Q30.239Flora Montiberica.orgSpain5 wk
49Ekológia (Bratislava)
1337-947X
Q30.22827SciendoPoland10 wk
50Revista Chapingo: Serie Ciencias Forestales y del Ambiente
2007-3828 · 2007-4018
Q30.22317Universidad Autónoma ChapingoMexico48 wk

Where these journals come from

Top countries of publication

  1. Italy 7
  2. Spain 6
  3. Poland 6
  4. Russia 6
  5. Iran 5
  6. Ukraine 4

Top publishers

  1. Sciendo 4
  2. Elsevier 2
  3. ‘Marin Drăcea’ National Research-Development Institute in Forestry 1
  4. Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization 1
  5. Altay State University 1
  6. Asian Fisheries Society 1

Manuscript languages accepted

  1. English 74
  2. Spanish 12
  3. Russian 5
  4. French 4
  5. Italian 4
  6. Persian 3

About this list

Diamond open access (also called Platinum) means the journal is free to read and free to publish in: the DOAJ records it with “APC: no” and “other fees: no”. Quartiles come from the latest SCImago edition: Q1 is the top 25% of journals in a subject category, Q4 the bottom 25%; the lists show a journal’s best quartile. Read more in our open access guide.

Before submitting, always confirm the journal on its own website and in the DOAJ, verify Scopus indexing by ISSN with the Scopus check rather than trusting claims on the journal’s site, and watch out for look-alike titles (see the predatory journal checklist).

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