Landscape Ecology - Landscape Ecology from Space: Improving biodiversity monitoring for sustainable landscapes on the road to 2030 conservation targets
Guest Editors
Sandra Luque, INRAE National Research Institute for Agriculture, Alimentation and Environment UMR TETIS Territories, Environment, Remote Sensing and Space Information, Montpellier, France
Jürgen Groeneveld, Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
Justin Morgenroth, School of Forestry, Kura Ngahere University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Rationality
The preservation of biodiversity has become a major challenge for sustainable development from local, national to global levels. To address the current conservation needs, we need operational methods to assess and monitoring landscapes while integrating information on habitat condition; inform conservation planning and support the assessment of ecosystem services. The understanding of complex processes at the landscape level can be supported by the variety of sensors available and the ability to develop original methods to use and combine information resulted in opportunities to predict the consequences of changes in drivers at different scales and plan for more efficient mitigation measures within a context of global change.
This collection aims to showcase a series of studies and robust frameworks that demonstrate how coupling remote sensing, artificial intelligence and ground observations with models can provide operational solutions towards a better understanding of complex forested landscape processes to support efficient planning towards sustainable management. In the end, we will discuss the role of innovative tools and coupling models to find ways to better capitalise to monitor biological diversity at landscapes globally.
Description
Increased access to satellite imagery and new developments in remote sensing data analyses can support biodiversity conservation targets by providing monitoring capacities at various spatial and temporal scales. More satellite imagery is indeed becoming available as open data, while remote sensing-based techniques that capitalise on the information contained in spatially explicit species data, such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), among other biodiversity related Big Data are developing constantly, and offering a plurality of application options to improve landscapes sustainability. In particular applying process-based simulation models on current free and open data will have a dramatic impact on our ability to understand how biodiversity is being affected by anthropogenic pressures and climate change, while improving the capability to predict the consequences of changes in drivers at different scales. We need to gain knowledge on the marine, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem conditions and the impacts of various human pressures on landscapes to be able to plan for more efficient mitigation measures for all global change drivers concurrently. Using a mixture of remote sensing and field-based data requires ecologists, modellers, and remote sensing experts to collaborate closely to make the best use of the newest remote sensing capabilities and modelling approaches.
We will connect the communities from landscape ecology, ecological modelling and remote sensing to build up synergies to provide examples of solid experiences working towards improving knowledge on trends in ecosystems and the biodiversity they support to meet their national mandates towards SDG’s implementation targets concerning biodiversity.
This collection invited experts in landscape ecology, biodiversity monitoring, satellite remote sensing, ecological modelling, coupling artificial intelligence with EOS Data to demonstrate and discuss ways to better capitalise on this technology to find operational solutions for biodiversity conservation, implications for policy and practice.
EXPECTED PUBLICATION: Late 2023
About the Guest Editors
Dr. Sandra Luque, a Landscape Ecologist, graduated from Rutgers (USA) and holds a HDR from France. Currently she is Research Director at INRAE UMR TETIS, Montpellier. She is a former NASA EOS Fellow, and was elected Vice President for the IALE for nine years. At present, Dr. Luque serves as Chair of the IUFRO Forest Environment Division, board member of INTECOL and Chair of the Science Committee for IGU-GFE commission on Geography for Future Earth. She is associate editor for Landscape Ecology and on the board of five other Journals. Dr. Luque has broad international experience to embrace the new challenges in terms of biodiversity and climate change impacts, to support actions in order to deliver a transformative impact for society, the economy and the environment. Her research focuses on spatial heterogeneity and landscape patterns implications for communities, and ecosystem processes. Dr. Luque has authored articles and book chapters on forest landscape ecology, biodiversity indicators, habitat modelling and coupled methods with remote sensing, temporal and spatial changes. Recently, she has published on conservation value, sustainability science and ecosystem services.
Dr. Jürgen Groeneveld is Chair of Forest Biometrics and Systems Analysis at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ in Leipzig, Germany. Apart from marine ecology, he is also interested in researching fire ecology, forest ecology and social-ecological systems.
Dr. Justin Morgenroth (@jamorgenroth (this opens in a new tab)) is interested in understanding urban trees and the critical roles they play in cities around the world. He also researches the growth, function, management, and ecosystem services of trees in urban environments. Dr. Morgenroth also leads the ‘New Zealand Urban Forest Initiative’ which connects researchers and urban forest stakeholders, such that new research can be used to inform best practices in urban forest management in New Zealand. He studies the spatial and temporal dynamics of New Zealand’s indigenous forests and exotic forest plantations using a range of quantitative techniques. Dr. Morgenroth works extensively with remote sensing or earth observation techniques, including lidar, as well as aerial and satellite imagery. In this capacity, he leads the Geospatial Research and Analysis Lab at the School of Forestry.
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