We are pleased to publish the 27th volume of the Journal of Vegetation Science (JVS). Since its inception in 1990, JVS has been increasingly recognized by readers as a leading publication in the field of plant community ecology. This is reflected in its steadily increasing impact factor according to Thomson Reuters Web of Science. The current IF for JVS is 3.709, well comparable to many other established ecological journals. Although a high impact factor is definitely not our central goal, it is, nonetheless, an indication of visibility and recognition of the research published in the journal.