Ten ways remote sensing can contribute to conservation

In an effort to increase conservation effectiveness through the use of Earth observation technologies, a group of remote sensing scientists affiliated with government and academic institutions and conservation organizations identified 10 questions in conservation for which the potential to be answered would be greatly increased by use of remotely sensed data and analyses of those data. Our goals were to increase conservation practitioners’ use of remote sensing to support their work, increase collaboration between the conservation science and remote sensing communities, identify and develop new and innovative uses of remote sensing for advancing conservation science, provide guidance to space agencies on how future satellite missions can support conservation science, and generate support from the public and private sector in the use of remote sensing data to address the 10 conservation questions. We identified a broad initial list of questions on the basis of an email chain‐referral survey. We then used a workshop‐based iterative and collaborative approach to whittle the list down to these final questions (which represent 10 major themes in conservation): How can global Earth observation data be used to model species distributions and abundances? How can remote sensing improve the understanding of animal movements? How can remotely sensed ecosystem variables be used to understand, monitor, and predict ecosystem response and resilience to multiple stressors? How can remote sensing be used to monitor the effects of climate on ecosystems? How can near real‐time ecosystem monitoring catalyze threat reduction, governance and regulation compliance, and resource management decisions? How can remote sensing inform configuration of protected area networks at spatial extents relevant to populations of target species and ecosystem services? How can remote sensing‐derived products be used to value and monitor changes in ecosystem services? How can remote sensing be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation efforts? How does the expansion and intensification of agriculture and aquaculture alter ecosystems and the services they provide? How can remote sensing be used to determine the degree to which ecosystems are being disturbed or degraded and the effects of these changes on species and ecosystem functions?     

Impacts of residential development on vegetation cover for a remote coastal barrier in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, USA

Coastal barrier environments are heavily influenced by human activities yet there are few examples of landscape ecological work investigating human dimensions of settlement disturbance patterns and processes. We investigated the impacts of residential development on vegetation cover for a remote roadless coastal barrier in Carova, North Carolina that is subject to policies from the federal to local levels and addressed three research questions: How has the region’s the policy history influenced patterns of residential parcel development? What are the spatial and temporal patterns of parcel development? How has development impacted patterns of barrier vegetation cover? We traced the influences of the federal 1982 Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) designed to discourage development in risky coastal areas as well as state/local coastal policies and employed remote sensing change detection, NDVI analysis and spatial analysis and regression techniques. Results showed an acceleration of new housing structures since 1990, contrary to the intended effects of CBRA. An estimated vegetation cover loss of 437 m² was associated with each newly developed parcel. NDVI varied along spatial and temporal gradients with more recent development having lower NDVI than older development. Recently developed parcels were larger in area, closer to the beach, and contained houses with larger footprints compared to older developed parcels. Our approach represents a place-based analytical framework for coastal barrier landscapes. Beyond the Carova case study, adopting such an approach coupling natural and human systems for the entire eastern US barrier system requires defining a comprehensive set of coastal barrier spatial units to enable typological classification and subsequent systematic investigation to inform debates regarding coastal ecosystem services and sustainability.     

Setting conservation management thresholds using a novel participatory modeling approach

We devised a participatory modeling approach for setting management thresholds that show when management intervention is required to address undesirable ecosystem changes. This approach was designed to be used when management thresholds: must be set for environmental indicators in the face of multiple competing objectives; need to incorporate scientific understanding and value judgments; and will be set by participants with limited modeling experience. We applied our approach to a case study where management thresholds were set for a mat‐forming brown alga, Hormosira banksii, in a protected area management context. Participants, including management staff and scientists, were involved in a workshop to test the approach, and set management thresholds to address the threat of trampling by visitors to an intertidal rocky reef. The approach involved trading off the environmental objective, to maintain the condition of intertidal reef communities, with social and economic objectives to ensure management intervention was cost‐effective. Ecological scenarios, developed using scenario planning, were a key feature that provided the foundation for where to set management thresholds. The scenarios developed represented declines in percent cover of H. banksii that may occur under increased threatening processes. Participants defined 4 discrete management alternatives to address the threat of trampling and estimated the effect of these alternatives on the objectives under each ecological scenario. A weighted additive model was used to aggregate participants’ consequence estimates. Model outputs (decision scores) clearly expressed uncertainty, which can be considered by decision makers and used to inform where to set management thresholds. This approach encourages a proactive form of conservation, where management thresholds and associated actions are defined a priori for ecological indicators, rather than reacting to unexpected ecosystem changes in the future.     

Comparison between remote-sensed data and in situ measurements in coastal waters: The taranto sea case

Monitoring and managing small coastal ecosystems requires a considerable understanding of the temporal dynamics of biophysical factors describing the coastal water systems. For this reason, daily observation from space could be a very efficient tool. The objective of the work described in this paper is to evaluate the contribution of remote sensing to the continuous monitoring of coastal areas. It is well known that in coastal areas, the presence of inorganic suspended sediments and coloured dissolved organic matter can make chlorophyll-concentration measurements from remote sensing difficult. To overcome these difficulties, an alternative approach to the SeaWiFS standard chlorophyll algorithm is presented, based on a semi-analytic model for sea water and on the use of MODIS data as input in a model for atmospheric effects removal. Moreover, land contamination (mixed sea–land pixels) can introduce ambiguities in sea-surface temperature measurements from remote sensing. This paper proposes the use of a hydrodynamic model as a time–space interpolator of in situ campaign data, to extensively validate the temperature values extracted from AVHRR sensor. We validated the proposed approach, using experimental field data collected over a two-year campaign in the Taranto Gulf. The results seem to indicate a good agreement between remote-sensed and in situ data.     

Evaluating the environmental flows of China's Wolonghu wetland and land use changes using a hydrological model, a water balance model, and remote sensing

Environmental flows are critical to sustaining a variety of plant and animal communities in wetlands. However, evaluation of environmental flows is hampered by the problem of hydrological and ecological data shortage, especially in many developing countries such as China. Based on a hydrological model, a water balance model and remote sensing data, we assessed the environmental flows of China's Wolonghu wetland with limited data. The hydrological model provides input data for the water balance model of the wetland, and the remote sensing data can be used to assess land use changes. Integration of these two models with the remote sensing data revealed both the environmental flows of the Wolonghu wetland and the relationships between these environmental flows and land use changes. The results demonstrate that environmental flows have direct and indirect influences on the wetland ecosystem and should be linked to sustainable wetland management.     

种群水平生态风险评价方法概述及其在环境管理中的应用

生态风险评价的目的是保护生态系统功能的完整性、稳定性和持久性,为环境风险管理提供理论依据。然而,目前常见的用于保护生物的化学污染物浓度阈值大多是以个体水平的毒性试验结果为基础,忽略了物种在时间和空间相互作用等因素,不能够完全保护生态环境安全和生态系统功能的延续性。本文从生态风险评价的概念、目的和意义引出种群水平生态风险评价在环境管理应用的重要性,综述了种群水平生态风险评价的科学问题(如密度依赖、遗传变异和空间结构等),归纳了种群水平风险评价主要模型方法及其应用(如Euler-Lotka方程、预测矩阵、个体模型、空间模型和动态能量预算模型等),列举了各国现有法律法规中关于种群水平生态风险评价的规定,以期为种群水平生态风险评价方法研究及在环境管理中的应用提供有益借鉴。     

基于RS和GIS的生态系统健康评价

生态系统健康评价可以认识区域生态系统健康状况、识别生态环境问题,为制定科学的生态保护对策提供依据,对提高可持续发展和环境管理具有重要的指导作用。文章由压力-状态-响应（P-S-R）概念模型建立了生态系统健康评价指标体系和评价模型,运用RS和GIS技术及统计学分析法,形成程序化、系统化的生态系统健康评价技术方法体系,并以高平市为案例,运用定量的方法对其生态系统健康进行综合评价及分级研究,通过对压力、状态、响应评价结果及健康综合评价结果的分析,结合高平市生态系统健康的自然条件状况与人类活动影响,探讨了影响区域健康的因素,为高平市资源的合理利用与保护提供科学依据。结果表明该技术对生态系统健康评价是切实可行的。     

Ecoregions and ecosystem management in China

Ecological regionalization is a base for rational management and sustainable utilization of ecosystems and natural resources. It can provide a scientific basis for constructing healthy ecological environments and making policies of environmental management. In this paper, based on synthetic analysis of the characteristics of the ecology and environments of China, the principles of ecological regionalization are discussed, and indices and nomenclature of ecological regionalization are proposed. The ecoregions on a national scale are divided. The results show that there are 3 domains, 13 ecoregions and 57 ecodistricts. The present scheme can be used as a framework for ecosystem assessment and management. Based on the ecoregions, measurements of management for forest, grassland, agriculture and wetland ecosystems are recommended. The experience and information can be used within and beyond the national scale for land-use planning, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.     

An Ecosystem Management Program and Assessment Process for Ontario National Parks

Abstract: An ecosystem management program and assessment process was developed to standardize an ecosystem-based approach to protecting the ecological integrity of Ontario's national parks. The elements of the ecosystem management program collectively represent the dominant planning and technical aspects of ecosystem management. Within the program, 11 specific products—ecosystem conservation plan, greater park ecosystem inventory and analysis, greater park ecosystem scope, area of cooperation, stakeholder analysis, partnership group management guidelines, scientific research program, ecological indicators, ecological integrity monitoring program, information network, and communication strategy—are considered requisite tools to improve the scientific understanding required for park management within the context of greater park ecosystems and to increase communication and coordination among governments and citizens to improve decision making. The formal process uses evaluation criteria associated with the 11 products to assess progress in developing an ecosystem management program and the content of the related products. The assessment process, which provides comprehensive identification of a park's specific ecosystem management needs, has been applied to all national parks in Ontario in the past year, which has had the immediate effect of refining their ecosystem management programs.     

基于改进模型的1992—2010年中国省域生态足迹核算

生态足迹可以从生物生产角度定量评估区域社会经济发展的可持续程度。本文运用改进的生态足迹模型对我国各省级行政区1992—2010年的生态足迹进行核算及聚类和相关性分析,以衡量各区域发展的差异及相似程度和分析各省域生态足迹变化的主导因素,并根据核算结果建立了各省区市的生态足迹预测模型,进一步明确各省级行政区的生态足迹变化趋势,以期为区域社会经济发展决策提供参考和借鉴。研究结果显示：近20年来,我国各省域社会经济发展对自然资源的依赖程度及对环境的总体影响存在较大差异。生态足迹的变化可以分为3种类型,即逐渐下降型、明显上升型和基本平稳型。北京和上海的生态足迹变化属于逐渐下降型,分别受对化石燃料用地和耕地需求的减少所主导,其中北京市生态足迹与化石燃料用地的相关系数为0.96,上海市生态足迹与耕地的相关系数为0.703,这2个城市在过去20年中的社会经济发展对自然资源的依赖程度逐渐降低;以内蒙古、山西为代表的化石燃料资源较为丰富的省域生态足迹呈明显上升趋势,这些省域生态足迹的增长受区域化石燃料生产的影响较大,个别省级行政单位生态足迹与化石燃料的相关系数为1;东北三省、东南沿海地区及西部自然资源相对匮乏省区的生态足迹属于基本平稳型。     

Multisensor monitoring of plume dynamics in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

We used data from various space-borne sensors to monitor the marine ecosystem in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, at the Costa Dorada, between the City of Barcelona and the estuary of the river Ebro. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that the combination of different remote sensing data (acquired at different electromagnetic frequencies) allows for an improved monitoring system, in particular for a better monitoring of the marine ecosystem and, hence, a better coastal zone management. We present remote sensing data acquired by the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and the Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) aboard the Second European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-2), and by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (Sea WiFS) on the SeaStar satellite. By combining the different data we are able to overcome specific drawbacks of the single sensors, like an insufficient temporal coverage, or a strong dependence on weather and daylight conditions. Within the study area two main features have been selected as examples, which are well visible on many of the analysed images. The first one exhibits a higher load of chlorophyll-a and surface-active compounds and a lower sea surface temperature (SST), which is likely to be caused by the plume of the river Llobregat, southwest of Barcelona. It can clearly be seen from the imagery how the river plume is driven along the coast by the local currents. The second feature can be related to cooling water being released from a nuclear power plant and causing turbulence in the water body, which in turn gives rise to signatures visible on the ERS-SAR imagery.     

Ecosystem states: Creating a data-derived, ecosystem-scale ecological response model that is explicit in space and time

Increasing difficulties associated with balancing consumptive demands for water and achieving ecological benefits in aquatic ecosystems provide opportunities for new ecosystem-scale ecological response models to assist managers. Using an Australian estuary as a case study, we developed a novel approach to create a data-derived state-and-transition model. The model identifies suites of co-occurring birds, fish, benthic invertebrates and aquatic macrophytes (as ‘states’) and the changing physico-chemical conditions that are associated with each (‘transitions’). The approach first used cluster analysis to identify sets of co-occurring biota. Differences in the physico-chemical data associated with each state were identified using classification trees, with the biotic distinctness of the resultant statistical model tested using analysis of similarities. The predictive capacity of the model was tested using new cases. Two models were created using different time-steps (annual and quarterly) and then combined to capture both longer-term trends and more-recent declines in ecological condition. We identified eight ecosystem states that were differentiated by a mix of water-quantity and water-quality variables. Each ecosystem state represented a distinct biotic assemblage under well-defined physico-chemical conditions. Two ‘basins of attraction’ were identified, with four tidally-influenced states, and another four independent of tidal influence. Within each basin, states described a continuum of relative health, manifest through declining taxonomic diversity and abundances. The main threshold determining relative health was whether freshwater flows had occurred in the region during the previous 339 days. Canonical analyses of principal coordinates tested the predictive capacity of the model and demonstrated that the variance in the environmental data set was well captured (87%) with 52% of the variance in the biological data set also captured. The latter increased to >80% when long- and short-term biological data were analysed separately, indicating that the model described the available data for the Coorong well. This approach thus created a data-derived, multivariate model, where neither states nor transitions were determined a priori. The approach did not over-fit the data, was robust to patchy or missing data, the choice of initial clustering technique and random errors in the biological data set, and was well-received by local natural resource managers. However, the model did not capture causal relationships and requires additional testing, particularly during future episodes of ecological recovery. The approach shows significant promise for simplifying management definitions of ecological condition and, via scenario analyses, can be used to assist in manager decision-making of large, complex aquatic ecosystems in the future.     

湿地生态风险评价中生物完整性指数研究进展

湿地是陆地与水域之间的过渡地带,是地球上生产力最高的生态系统。湿地生态风险评价的实际应用将使人们更好地理解物理、化学和生物风险源如何影响湿地,并为湿地管理提供科学支撑,这就要求确定湿地生态健康评价指标的完整性。生物完整性指数以环境生态毒理学数据为依据,是进行生态系统健康风险评价的最有力工具。大中型无脊椎动物作为易选择的分类群,可用于湿地评估的生物完整性指数的建立,土壤动物特别是线虫类群作为湿地土壤和水环境健康评价的指示生物具有广阔前景。通过线虫分子毒理学等研究方法,可优化出生物完整性指数体系,建立扰动背景下的湿地生态风险评价模型,为湿地污染的监测、防控和修复,提供理论依据和实践方法。     

A decision-support system in ICZM for protecting the ecosystems: integration with the habitat directive

This paper describes a decision-support system based on landscape ecology and focused on the study of ecosystems’ health. System capabilities are illustrated with three cases of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), in the Adriatic Sea (Italy): the lagoon of Venice and the Rimini and Ancona coastal areas. Indicators and indices are developed with a focus on sub-regional and local problems in coastal management, with a multi-scale approach based on landscape and seascape ecology. Land-use changes of the coastal areas were detected by analyzing two sets of satellite images. Indices combining satellite imagery, socio-economic and environmental indicators, and landscape and seascape maps were created, showing ecological changes, habitat loss and gaps in conservation policy. The approach used provides means for the identification of conflicts and for the assessment of sustainability. Results show that the lagoon of Venice plays an important role in mitigating and compensating the impacts of human activities, and needs to be protected and restored. The Rimini area shows high ecological footprint and development-intensity and low biocapacity. The Ancona area needs the protection of its natural coastal space from potential sources of anthropogenic impacts to maintain its sustainability. A model of environment changes is critical for formulating effective environmental policies and management strategies. The developed decision-support system provides a suitability map per each area analyzed, which can be used in order to maximize different policy objectives and reduce coastal conflicts.     

Sustainable management of shellfish resources in Bandon Bay, Gulf of Thailand

Bandon Bay (Surat Thani Province) is one of the most productive coastal areas in southern Thailand. The Tapi River and 18 channels are the main sources of freshwater, nutrients, organic matter and sediment to the bay and the loading of freshwater and nutrients provide essential support for the production of phytoplankton in the estuarine ecosystem. Bandon Bay is important as natural spawning, nursery and feeding grounds for shellfish such as oysters, blood cockles, green mussels, short-necked clams, mud crabs and shrimps, and the estuary also serves as an excellent area for mariculturing of shellfish. In fact, oysters and blood cockles cultured in Bandon Bay are now being exported worldwide. However, Bandon Bay is also a textbook example of overexploitation of coastal resources in the tropics including all the derived changes in the estuarial ecosystem with severe socio-economic consequences. Hence, there is an urgent need for setting up an integrated management plant for a sustainable use of shellfish resources in Bandon Bay. The present study attempts to integrate water quality simulation results, socio-economic data and information on existing shellfish resource use in the process of proposing a set of sustainable management strategies for shellfish resources in Bandon Bay. These strategies involve: (1) using water quality modeling to monitor ecological and environmental changes in shellfish culture beds and their natural habitats in the process of setting up a master plan for management of waste water discharge into Bandon Bay; (2) zoning of shellfish mariculture in the coastal area in order to solve conflicts between resource users; (3) setting up a clear system for taxation of mariculture where the revenue may be used for (4) setting up and managing mangrove strips as filters of pollution and sediment around Bandon Bay; and finally (5) it is suggested to form a committee with members representing all relevant stakeholders plus the local government in order to work on resolving the existing and potential future conflicts over resource usage in Bandon Bay. This methodology may be seen as an important contribution towards a Bandon Bay sustainable management approach, based on the principles of integrated coastal zone management because it is science-based and takes into consideration the needs and perceptions of people involved in coastal resource extraction.     

Physical planning in the coastal region of Zeeland, the Netherlands

The Dutch province of Zeeland is situated in the southern part of the Delta region. The geographical location of the province and its history of inundation, land reclamation and dam-building, clearly illustrate the importance that water always has had and still has in The Netherlands. Coastal defence projects are of utmost importance for The Netherlands and the Delta Project is the crown project. The importance of this project does not only regard the protection against the sea; the Delta dams also contribute considerably to the regional infrastructure. They are a important contribution to the abolishment of the former isolation of the region. They control inland navigation and form important boundaries for water management. They separate salt, brackish and fresh water as well as waters with or without tidal-influence and they also influence the ecological systems in and along the waters. Through physical planning, including the coastal policy of today, land and water can be further integrated. This paper discusses the role of the Province in area planning, related to the division of labour between the various public authorities in The Netherlands: state, provinces and municipalities. Coastal and water policy at the provincial level have been largely integrated with relevant other interests. It may be concluded that regional planning and coastal policy are beginning to adopt a new view towards dealing with water.     

Current Normative Concepts in Conservation

A plethora of normative conservation concepts have recently emerged, most of which are ill-defined: biological diversity, biological integrity, ecological restoration, ecological services, ecological rehabilitation, ecological sustainability, sustainable development, ecosystem health, ecosystem management, adaptive management, and keystone species are salient among them. These normative concepts can be organized and interpreted by reference to two new schools of conservation philosophy, compositionalism and functionalism. The former comprehends nature primarily by means of evolutionary ecology and considers Homo sapiens separate from nature. The latter comprehends nature primarily by means of ecosystem ecology and considers Homo sapiens a part of nature. Biological diversity, biological integrity, and ecological restoration belong primarily in the compositionalist glossary; the rest belong primarily in the functionalist glossary. The former set are more appropriate norms for reserves, the latter for areas that are humanly inhabited and exploited. In contrast to the older schools of conservation philosophy, preservationism and resourcism, compositionalism and functionalism are complementary, not competitive and mutually exclusive. As the historically divergent ecological sciences—evolutionary ecology and ecosystem ecology—are increasingly synthesized, a more unified philosophy of conservation can be envisioned.     

Selecting cost‐effective areas for restoration of ecosystem services

Selection of areas for restoration should be based on cost‐effectiveness analysis to attain the maximum benefit with a limited budget and overcome the traditional ad hoc allocation of funds for restoration projects. Restoration projects need to be planned on the basis of ecological knowledge and economic and social constraints. We devised a novel approach for selecting cost‐effective areas for restoration on the basis of biodiversity and potential provision of 3 ecosystem services: carbon storage, water depuration, and coastal protection. We used Marxan, a spatial prioritization tool, to balance the provision of ecosystem services against the cost of restoration. We tested this approach in a mangrove ecosystem in the Caribbean. Our approach efficiently selected restoration areas that at low cost were compatible with biodiversity targets and that maximized the provision of one or more ecosystem services. Choosing areas for restoration of mangroves on the basis carbon storage potential, largely guaranteed the restoration of biodiversity and other ecosystem services. Selección de Áreas Rentables para la Restauración de Servicios Ambientales     

江苏沿海化工快速发展下区域生态风险评价模型研究

区域生态风险评价是区域建立生态风险预警机制,实现有效生态风险管理的基础,而其中区域生态风险评价模型的构建是关键。本研究在分析江苏沿海化工风险源及危害性、风险受体以及风险相应能力的基础上,根据科学性、可操作性、动态性与静态性相结合、定性与定量相结合以及因地制宜的原则,选取代表性强、表征明显、简明且易于统计量化的要素和因子,在传统数学模式的基础上,运用系统动力学、景观生态学以及GIS分析、引入区域化工风险压力、化工园区风险度、区域环境敏感指数等指数,采用Delphi、AHP法构建了包括化工风险压力指数、区域环境状态指数、区域生态风险管理指数的区域化工生态风险的多指标综合评价模型。建立的评价模型为研究区域尺度政策实施的生态风险状态及发展趋势提供了一种思路。