Researchers: Satellite Imagery Could Boost Wildlife Conservation

BY ELIZABETH BORNEMAN


An increased number of scientists, conservationists and technology scions are banding together to use their various strengths to benefit conservation efforts to track global biodiversity. An essay in a recent issue of the journal Nature proposes that by using satellite imagery, scientists can track animal species and other valuable pieces of ecological information and create a greater picture of conservationism for that particular issue. “Satellites offer a way to collect information in places that are relatively inaccessible to scientists, because of their remoteness or because of political instabilities,” says Nathalie Pettorelli, co-author and researcher for the Zoological Society of London. “It also allows you to collect information in repeatable, standardized, and verifiable ways, for the whole planet.”

Tracking global biodiversity is no easy feat. Using technology to promote conservation efforts can help scientists gather data in locations that are too remote, inhospitable or unsafe for them to work. Satellite tracking, while still a tremendous undertaking, can cut down on research expenses and overall costs in the long run.

Although conservationists around the world are taking advantage of advances in satellite tracking technology, there needs to be an agreed upon set of metrics by which scientists can quantify their results. This would allow for a consistent set of information that could be put together and analyzed collectively. Conservation targets have already been set by a global panel of scientists; now it’s time for those targets to be worked towards and met.

Unfortunately many ecological metrics can’t be observed using satellite imagery. Other factors like green space, forest fire risk and damage, and animal migrations can be tracked. The popularity of crowd-sourced mapping and the increased access to public satellite imagery takes away some of the challenges keeping scientists away from using satellite tracking technologies.

SATELLITE IMAGERY AND DATA FROM LANDSAT 8 (LEFT) AND THE SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION (CENTER) SHOW LAND COVER (RIGHT) ON THE SENEGAL–GUINEA BORDER IN 2014. SOURCE: SKIDMORE ET AL, 2015.

There’s also the matter of synchronizing tracking units to ecological measurements. Oftentimes quantifying what is seen in a satellite image is difficult, especially when different ecological bodies disagree on what’s been seen. Satellite imaging is dependent on the definition of forestland, erosion, habitat, and other terms that scientists use to track these massive amounts of global environmental data.

Collecting global data isn’t as difficult as it once was. The whole reason we can have weather reports for countries around the world and track weather events from place to place is because scientists can use satellites to track weather systems as they move around the globe. Scientists can use what they know about the spin of the earth, the effect of the jet stream, and other information to chart the weather we experience every day.

Although this technology has a long way to go as far as quantifying ecological and environmental data, the work already being done for conservation efforts using satellite tracking imagery is impressive. The future holds increased connectivity between science, conservation and technology as it brings together global conservation work.

More:

Skidmore, Andrew K., Nathalie Pettorelli, Nicholas C. Coops, Gary N. Geller, Matthew Hansen, Richard Lucas, Caspar A. Mücher et al. “Environmental science: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space.” Nature 523 (2015): 403-405. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/news/environmental-science-agree-on-biodiversity-metrics-to-track-from-space-1.18009

Source: GIS Lounge - Maps and GIS

Ten ways remote sensing can contribute to conservation

A remote sensing image of Yellowstone National Park, regarded by many as the world’s first national park. WCS, NASA, And other conservation and remote sensing agencies, universities and NGOs are focusing on the top 10 conservation questions for satellite technology, including the monitoring of protected areas from space.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.




Scientists from the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), NASA, and other organizations have partnered to focus global attention on the contribution of satellites to biodiversity conservation in a recently released study entitled "Ten Ways Remote Sensing Can Contribute to Conservation," featured in the latest edition of the scientific journalConservation Biology.


Addressing global questions requires global datasets that are enabled by satellite remote sensing; this paper highlights the way in which continuous observations of the Earth's surface and atmosphere can advance our understanding of how and why the Earth is changing and inform actions that can be taken to halt the degradation of planet's natural systems.

The findings of the paper will inform discussions on improving protected area management that are underway at the IUCN World Parks Congress, an event held every 10 years by the global conservation community.

Established in many cases to conserve wildlife and the ecosystems they inhabit, protected areas still fall short of protecting species and their ecological needs. In many instances, protected areas such as Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in The Republic of Congo do not cover the full range of species such as elephants. Remote sensing can be used to gather information needed for managing landscapes beyond protected area networks.

"Remote sensing data from orbiting satellites have been used to measure, understand, and predict environmental changes since the 1970s, but technology that subsequently became available can now be applied much more widely on a whole range of conservation issues," said WCS Conservation Support scientist Dr. Robert Rose, the lead author of the study. "To that end, we sought out the top thought leaders in conservation and the remote sensing community to identify the best conservation applications of these data."

"Collaborations such as these that strengthen ties between disparate research communities will create new opportunities to advance conservation," said co-author Dr Allison Leidner of NASA's Earth Science Division. "For example, it will help remote sensing scientists tailor their research to meet the needs of field-based researchers and conservation practitioners."

With funding from NASA to lead the study, Rose and his co-authors brought together 32 thought leaders from both the conservation and remote-sensing communities. The participants interviewed more than 100 experts in both fields and generated 360 questions, which were then whittled down to the Top 10 conservation examples on how remote sensing can be used, including:

• Species distribution and abundances

• Species movements and life stages

• Ecosystem processes

• Climate change

• Rapid response

• Protected areas

• Ecosystem services

• Conservation effectiveness

• Agricultural/aquiculture expansion and changes in land use/cover

• Degradation and disturbance regimes

With this study, the authors hope to jumpstart a new collaborative initiative that provides guidance to space agencies and other partners on how future Earth observation satellite missions can contribute to advancing wildlife protection and protected area management. Toward that end, the authors initiated the Conservation Remote Sensing Network, which currently has 350 members from around the world, all of whom are interested in applying remote-sensing data to a broad array of conservation challenges.

"A vital part of this new network, which will foster communications and build opportunities between the conservation and remote sensing communities and help develop new remote sensing capabilities, will be to generate interest from both the public and private sector to invest in the use of orbiting Earth observatories to help conserve the planet's remaining biodiversity," added Dr. David Wilkie of WCS's Conservation Support Program.



Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.


Journal Reference:
Robert A. Rose, Dirck Byler, J. Ron Eastman, Erica Fleishman, Gary Geller, Scott Goetz, Liane Guild, Healy Hamilton, Matt Hansen, Rachel Headley, Jennifer Hewson, Ned Horning, Beth A. Kaplin, Nadine Laporte, Allison Leidner, Peter Leimgruber, Jeffrey Morisette, John Musinsky, Lilian Pintea, Ana Prados, Volker C. Radeloff, Mary Rowen, Sassan Saatchi, Steve Schill, Karyn Tabor, Woody Turner, Anthony Vodacek, James Vogelmann, Martin Wegmann, David Wilkie, Cara Wilson. Ten Ways Remote Sensing Can Contribute to Conservation.Conservation Biology, 2014; DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12397

Article source: Science Daily