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Remote Sensing
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Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II
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Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecological Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 8506

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yeqiao Wang

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Guest Editor
Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
Interests: terrestrial remote sensing; protected areas; coastal environments; wetlands; mangrove; inventory and monitoring of ecological conditions; land use and land cover change; biodiversity conservation; mountainous regions; decision support
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Zhong Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
Interests: SAR; InSAR; PSInSAR; geophysical modeling; volcanoes; landslides; geohazards
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yongwei Sheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), P.O. Box 951524, 1255 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: hydrology; lake dynamics; water resources; vegetation monitoring; glacier changes; remote sensing; geographic information systems (GIS); Tibetan Plateau; Arctic; Central Asia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yuyu Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: urban remote sensing; urbanization; urban heat island; building energy use; vegetation phenology; climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Remote sensing has been successfully applied in the inventory and monitoring of protected areas around the world. Protected areas include national parks, national forests, all levels of natural preserves and designated areas for the conservation of biological diversity and cultural and natural significance. Protected areas also include frontier and wilderness areas that are among the treasures of the natural world. Some protected areas are the only places on the planet that contain undisturbed landscapes and ecosystems. Along coasts and across oceans, protected areas include national seashores and marine protected areas that encompass intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with their overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features. With intensified impacts of climate and environmental change, protected areas are becoming more important in terms of serving as indicators of ecosystem status and function. In December 2022, United Nation’s Biodiversity Conference (COP15) adopted the global biodiversity framework with measures for the protection of 30% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by 2030. Remote sensing plays an essential and irreplaceable role in addressing those challenges.

With the rapid development of remote sensing science and technologies, this Special Issue aims to publish original manuscripts on the latest innovative research and advancement in the remote sensing of protected areas. Comprehensive reviews of this research field are also welcome. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • State-of-the-art remote sensing technologies to capture the dynamics of ecosystem variations;
  • Evaluations of newly available sensors, data, and new development of integrated approaches;
  • Methods for processing advanced remote sensing and time series data;
  • Integration of multisource and open source data, such as from in situ measurements, UAV observations, habitat assessments, social economic development, policy factors, and citizen science in inventory and monitoring practices;
  • Applications of remote sensing in topics such as biospheric, atmospheric, hydrospheric and societal dimensions of protected areas, habitat mapping and biodiversity conservation, impacts of climate change, detection of effects from extreme natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and uncertainty, mitigation, resilience and sustainability of protected areas under changing environments.

Prof. Dr. Yeqiao Wang
Prof. Dr. Zhong Lu
Prof. Dr. Yongwei Sheng
Prof. Dr. Yuyu Zhou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protected areas
  • new sensor applications
  • dynamic simulation modeling
  • climate change
  • ecosystem functions and services
  • biodiversity conservation
  • resilience and sustainability
  • natural hazards and human disturbances
  • socio-economic indicators
  • governance, management and decision support

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 28276 KiB  
Article
Water–Ecological Health Assessment Considering Water Supply–Demand Balance and Water Supply Security: A Case Study in Xinjiang
by Ji Zhang, Xiaoying Lai, Aihua Long, Pei Zhang, Xiaoya Deng, Mingjiang Deng, Cai Ren and Yi Xiao
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(20), 3834; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16203834 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 750
Abstract
Water scarcity and ecological degradation in arid zones present significant challenges to regional ecological health. Despite this, integrating the water supply–demand balance and water supply security (SEC) into ecological health assessments—particularly through composite indicators—remains underexplored in arid regions. In this study, we assessed [...] Read more.
Water scarcity and ecological degradation in arid zones present significant challenges to regional ecological health. Despite this, integrating the water supply–demand balance and water supply security (SEC) into ecological health assessments—particularly through composite indicators—remains underexplored in arid regions. In this study, we assessed the ecological health changes in Xinjiang by utilizing multivariate remote sensing data, focusing on the balance between water supply and demand, the degree of SEC, and ecosystem resilience (ER). Our results indicate that while water supply and demand remained relatively stable in northern Xinjiang between 2000 and 2020, the conflict between supply and demand intensified in the southern and eastern agricultural regions. SEC evaluations revealed that 73.3% of the region experienced varying degrees of decline over the 20-year period. Additionally, ER assessments showed that 7.12% of the region exhibited a significant decline, with 78.6% experiencing overall reductions in ecological health. The indicators’ response to drought demonstrated that improvements in ecological health during wet conditions were less pronounced than declines during droughts. This study underscores the necessity of prioritizing areas with lower ecological health in future water allocation strategies to optimize water resource utilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II)
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21 pages, 3973 KiB  
Article
Hydrological Factor and Land Use/Land Cover Change Explain the Vegetation Browning in the Dosso Reserve, Niger
by Yelong Zeng, Li Jia, Min Jiang, Chaolei Zheng, Massimo Menenti, Ali Bennour and Yunzhe Lv
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(10), 1728; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16101728 - 13 May 2024
Viewed by 1048
Abstract
The West Sahel is facing significant threats to its vegetation and wildlife due to the land degradation and habitat fragmentation. It is crucial to assess the regional vegetation greenness dynamics in order to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of protection in the natural reserves. [...] Read more.
The West Sahel is facing significant threats to its vegetation and wildlife due to the land degradation and habitat fragmentation. It is crucial to assess the regional vegetation greenness dynamics in order to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of protection in the natural reserves. This study analyzes the vegetation greenness trends and the driving factors in the Dosso Partial Faunal Reserve in Niger and nearby unprotected regions—one of the most important habitats for endemic African fauna—using satellite time series data from 2001 to 2020. An overall vegetation browning trend was observed throughout the entire region with significant spatial variability. Vegetation browning dominated in the Dosso Reserve with 17.7% of the area showing a significant trend, while the area with significant greening was 6.8%. In a comparison, the nearby unprotected regions to the north and the east were found to be dominated by vegetation browning and greening, respectively. These results suggest that the vegetation protection practice was not fully effective throughout the Dosso Reserve. The dominant drivers were also diagnosed using the Random Forest model-based method and the Partial Dependence Plot tool, showing that water availability (expressed as soil moisture) and land use/land cover change were the most critical factors affecting vegetation greenness in the study region. Specifically, soil moisture stress and specific land management practices associated with logging, grazing, and land clearing appeared to dominate vegetation browning in the Dosso Reserve. In contrast, the vegetation greening in the central Dosso Reserve and the nearby unprotected region to the east was probably caused by the increase in shrubland/forest, which was related to the effective implementation of protection. These findings improve our understanding of how regional vegetation greenness dynamics respond to environmental changes in the Dosso Reserve and also highlight the need for more effective conservation planning and implementation to ensure sustainable socio-ecological development in the West Sahel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II)
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27 pages, 15679 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Evolution and Factors Influencing Regional Ecological Land in a Multidimensional Perspective: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region
by Xingbang Wang, Ze Xu, Jing Huang and Zhengfeng Zhang
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(10), 1714; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16101714 - 11 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1229
Abstract
A systematic analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and factors influencing ecological land (EL) can support the optimization of EL protection policies and ensure the stability of regional ecosystems. Based on remote sensing data, using the gravity center shift model, the landscape pattern [...] Read more.
A systematic analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and factors influencing ecological land (EL) can support the optimization of EL protection policies and ensure the stability of regional ecosystems. Based on remote sensing data, using the gravity center shift model, the landscape pattern index, and the equivalent factor method, the characteristics of EL evolution in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region from 1980 to 2020 were analyzed. A fixed-effects model was used to quantitatively explore the factors influencing EL evolution and heterogeneity analysis. The results are as follows: (1) The EL area exhibited a trend of initial decrease followed by a subsequent increase during the study period. The most significant area transfer occurred between cropland and EL, but, after the 21st century, the proportion of area transfer between construction land and EL noticeably increased. (2) The compactness and fragmentation of EL showed a certain spatiotemporal stability, but the spatial distribution of compactness and fragmentation hot and cold spots exhibited significant differences. The fragmentation hot spots mainly displayed a strip distribution, while those of compactness showed a clustered distribution. (3) Although the ecosystem service value in the BTH region demonstrated dynamic “M”-shaped changes, the distribution of hot and cold spots still exhibited spatial stability. Regulating services consistently occupied a higher proportion of the sub-service functions, while cultural services still needed further enhancement. (4) Factors influencing the evolution of areas and values demonstrated similarities. The landscape was significantly influenced by construction land, showing a non-linear “U”-shaped relationship with fragmentation. Different economic development gradients and altitudes exhibited differentiated characteristics in terms of their influencing factors. This study provides scientific support for dynamically and precisely adjusting governmental EL management policies, contributing to the sustainable development of regional socio-economics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II)
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22 pages, 10754 KiB  
Article
Evolution of Wetland Patterns and Key Driving Forces in China’s Drylands
by Xiaolan Wu, Hui Zhao, Meihong Wang, Quanzhi Yuan, Zhaojie Chen, Shizhong Jiang and Wei Deng
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(4), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16040702 - 17 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1483
Abstract
Wetlands within dryland regions are highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. Based on three types of land use data sources from satellite images and a spatial data analysis, the spatiotemporal characteristics of wetland evolution in China’s drylands and their relationship with [...] Read more.
Wetlands within dryland regions are highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. Based on three types of land use data sources from satellite images and a spatial data analysis, the spatiotemporal characteristics of wetland evolution in China’s drylands and their relationship with human interference and climate change from 1990 to 2020 were analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) The wetlands within China’s drylands expanded, including rivers, lakes, and artificial wetlands, apart from marshes, which shrunk. Meanwhile, wetland fragmentation increased, with rivers being particularly severely fragmented. (2) Temperature and precipitation showed an increasing trend from 1990 to 2020 in China’s drylands. Lakes and rivers expanded with regional differences due to the uneven distribution of precipitation and rising temperature. (3) Human activities, more than climate change, became the key driving factor for the changes in wetland patterns in China’s drylands. The increased areas of farmland and grassland along with increased levels of drainage and irrigation activities led to the shrinkage of marshes and the fragmentation of rivers. The increase in the number of artificial reservoirs was the main reason for the expansion of artificial wetlands. This study clarifies the specific driving factors of different types of wetlands within China’s drylands, which is of great use for better protecting wetlands and the gradual restoration of degraded wetlands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II)
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Review

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73 pages, 3391 KiB  
Review
Remote Data for Mapping and Monitoring Coastal Phenomena and Parameters: A Systematic Review
by Rosa Maria Cavalli
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(3), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16030446 - 23 Jan 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3271
Abstract
Since 1971, remote sensing techniques have been used to map and monitor phenomena and parameters of the coastal zone. However, updated reviews have only considered one phenomenon, parameter, remote data source, platform, or geographic region. No review has offered an updated overview of [...] Read more.
Since 1971, remote sensing techniques have been used to map and monitor phenomena and parameters of the coastal zone. However, updated reviews have only considered one phenomenon, parameter, remote data source, platform, or geographic region. No review has offered an updated overview of coastal phenomena and parameters that can be accurately mapped and monitored with remote data. This systematic review was performed to achieve this purpose. A total of 15,141 papers published from January 2021 to June 2023 were identified. The 1475 most cited papers were screened, and 502 eligible papers were included. The Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched using all possible combinations between two groups of keywords: all geographical names in coastal areas and all remote data and platforms. The systematic review demonstrated that, to date, many coastal phenomena (103) and parameters (39) can be mapped and monitored using remote data (e.g., coastline and land use and land cover changes, climate change, and coastal urban sprawl). Moreover, the authors validated 91% of the retrieved parameters, retrieved from remote data 39 parameters that were mapped or monitored 1158 times (88% of the parameters were combined together with other parameters), monitored 75% of the parameters over time, and retrieved 69% of the parameters from several remote data and compared the results with each other and with available products. They obtained 48% of the parameters using different methods, and their results were compared with each other and with available products. They combined 17% of the parameters that were retrieved with GIS and model techniques. In conclusion, the authors addressed the requirements needed to more effectively analyze coastal phenomena and parameters employing integrated approaches: they retrieved the parameters from different remote data, merged different data and parameters, compared different methods, and combined different techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas II)
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