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© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
R. Díaz-Delgado et al. (eds.), The Roles of Remote Sensing in Nature Conservation,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-64332-8_2
Towards a Mature Age of Remote Sensing
for Natura 2000 Habitat Conservation: Poor
Method Transferability as a Prime Obstacle
Jeroen Vanden Borre, Toon Spanhove, and Birgen Haest
Abstract Over the past decades, remote sensing has been repeatedly identified as
a promising and powerful tool to aid nature conservation. Many methods and applications of remote sensing to monitor biodiversity have indeed been published, and
continue to be at an increasing rate. As such, remote sensing is seemingly living up
to its expectations; yet, its actual use in nature conservation (or rather the lack
thereof) contradicts this. We argue that, at least for the practical implementation of
regular vegetation monitoring, including within protected areas (e.g., European
Natura 2000 sites), a lack of transferability of remote sensing methods is an overlooked factor that hinders its effective operational use for nature conservation.
Among the causes of poor method transferability is the large variation in objects of
interest, user requirements, ground reference data, and image properties, but also
the lack of consideration of transferability during method development. To stimulate the adoption of remote sensing based techniques in vegetation monitoring and
conservation, we recommend that a number of actions are taken. We call upon
remote sensing scientists and nature monitoring experts to specifically consider and
demonstrate method transferability by using widely available image data, limiting
ground reference data dependence, and making their preferably open-source programming code publicly available. Furthermore, we recommend that nature conservation specialists are open and realistic about potential outcomes by not expecting
the replacement of current in-place methodologies, and actively contributing to the
thought process of generating transferable and repeatable methods.
We believe a new focus on method repeatability instead of novelty, would
herald a mature era for remote sensing in nature conservation, in which remote
sensing, through its operational use, would truly live up to its potential for nature
conservation.
J. Vanden Borre (*) • T. Spanhove
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
e-mail: Jeroen.VandenBorre@inbo.be; Toon.Spanhove@inbo.be
B. Haest
Remote Sensing Department, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO),
Boeretang 200, 2040 Mol, Belgium
Bird Migration Department, Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21,
26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
e-mail: birgen.haest@gmail.com
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
R. Díaz-Delgado et al. (eds.), The Roles of Remote Sensing in Nature Conservation,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-64332-8_2
Towards a Mature Age of Remote Sensing
for Natura 2000 Habitat Conservation: Poor
Method Transferability as a Prime Obstacle
Jeroen Vanden Borre, Toon Spanhove, and Birgen Haest
Abstract Over the past decades, remote sensing has been repeatedly identified as
a promising and powerful tool to aid nature conservation. Many methods and applications of remote sensing to monitor biodiversity have indeed been published, and
continue to be at an increasing rate. As such, remote sensing is seemingly living up
to its expectations; yet, its actual use in nature conservation (or rather the lack
thereof) contradicts this. We argue that, at least for the practical implementation of
regular vegetation monitoring, including within protected areas (e.g., European
Natura 2000 sites), a lack of transferability of remote sensing methods is an overlooked factor that hinders its effective operational use for nature conservation.
Among the causes of poor method transferability is the large variation in objects of
interest, user requirements, ground reference data, and image properties, but also
the lack of consideration of transferability during method development. To stimulate the adoption of remote sensing based techniques in vegetation monitoring and
conservation, we recommend that a number of actions are taken. We call upon
remote sensing scientists and nature monitoring experts to specifically consider and
demonstrate method transferability by using widely available image data, limiting
ground reference data dependence, and making their preferably open-source programming code publicly available. Furthermore, we recommend that nature conservation specialists are open and realistic about potential outcomes by not expecting
the replacement of current in-place methodologies, and actively contributing to the
thought process of generating transferable and repeatable methods.
We believe a new focus on method repeatability instead of novelty, would
herald a mature era for remote sensing in nature conservation, in which remote
sensing, through its operational use, would truly live up to its potential for nature
conservation.
J. Vanden Borre (*) • T. Spanhove
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
e-mail: Jeroen.VandenBorre@inbo.be; Toon.Spanhove@inbo.be
B. Haest
Remote Sensing Department, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO),
Boeretang 200, 2040 Mol, Belgium
Bird Migration Department, Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21,
26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
e-mail: birgen.haest@gmail.com