A remote sensing research agenda for mapping and monitoring biodiversity

Abstract

Abstract There is an urgent need to inventory and monitor indicators of biological diversity, such as species richness. Remotely-sensed data provide a means to accomplish part of this task, but there has been no comprehensive scientific framework to guide its effective application. Here we propose a remote sensing research agenda designed to improve the quality and quantity of information available for testing scientific hypotheses, monitoring, and conservation planning. Biodiversity should be more fully incorporated into ongoing Earth system science and global change programmes, with remote sensing featured as a prominent data acquisition and analysis tool.