Remote Sensing for Biodiversity and Wildlife Management : Synthesis and Applications Book

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

1 Introduction 1

Remote Sensing for Biodiversity and Wildlife Management 1

A Remote-Sensing Approach across Disciplines 1

Remote Sensing and Wildlife 1

Remote Sensing and Biodiversity 6

Definitions and Context 7

Remote-Sensing Science 7

Wildlife Management 8

Biodiversity 8

Habitat 9

Landscape Level or Landscape Scale 10

Interface of Management and Research 12

Early Developments 13

Field-Based Remote Sensing 13

Aerial Remote Sensing 15

Satellite Remote Sensing 16

Growing Confidence in Remote-Sensing Applications 17

Current Status 20

Critical Remote-Sensing Contributions 20

Biodiversity Indicators 20

Linking to Animal-Based Data Sets 22

Purpose and Organization of the Book 23

Chapter Summaries 24

2 Management Information Needs and Remote Sensing 27

Information Requirements for Management 27

Types of Information Required 27

Sampling Strategy 30

Science Team Dynamics 31

The Role of Leadership 38

Application Framework 40

Ecosystem Structure and Process 43

Land Cover 43

Land-Cover Change 45

Habitat Attributes 45

Habitat Patches 48

Spatial Heterogeneity and Fragmentation 50

Energy and Productivity 51

Water Resources and Quality 53

Ecosystem Health and Integrity 54

Habitat and Biodiversity Indicators 56

Habitat Suitability 56

Monitoring Programs 57

Limitations of Remote Sensing 63

3 Remote-Sensing Data Collection and Processing 67

Image Characteristics 67

Image Formation 67

Image Resolution 74

Image Scale 76

Image Acquisition 77

Field Instruments 77

Aerial Sensors and Platforms 78

Current Satellite Systems 84

Image Analysis 87

Image Radiometry 87

ImageGeometry 91

Image Classification 92

Vegetation Indices 94

Data Fusion and Synergy 95

Change Detection 96

Geomatics Solutions: Remote Sensing, GIS, GPS, and Spatial Models 97

GIS Integration 97

Location Sensing Technology 99

Spatial Models 102

4 Remote Sensing of Ecosystem Process and Structure 107

Land Cover and Vegetation Structure 107

Land Cover 107

Species and Species Assemblages 107

Understory Plants and the Forest Floor 116

Invasive Alien Species 118

Vertical Complexity, Canopy Gaps and Structure 121

Dead and Damaged Trees 129

Chemical Constituents of Vegetation, Soils, and Water 130

Foliar Chemistry and Stress (Health) 130

Food Resource Availability and Quality 134

Soil Processes and Conditions 136

Water Quality 137

Ice and Snow Conditions 140

Ecosystem Processes 141

Gross and Net Primary Productivity 141

Phenology 144

Fragmentation 147

5 Remote Sensing in Wildlife Management 151

Remote-Sensing Reviews, Case Studies, and Illustrative Examples 151

Recent Reviews 151

Remote Sensing of Habitat Indicators 159

Direct Animal Sensing and Counting 162

Remote Sensing of Habitat Resources 166

General Habitat Suitability Mapping 166

Species Distribution Models 169

Multiscale Habitat Structure 174

Habitat Fragmentation 174

Spatial Heterogeneity 179

Anthropogenic Change and Disturbances 184

Linear Features 184

Partial Land-Cover Change 187

Animal and Human Health Studies 190

Case Study: Landscape Change and Grizzly Bear Health in Alberta 195

Land Cover, Structure, and Resource Selection 195

Health and Change 198

Management Implications 201

6 Remote Sensing in Biodiversity Monitoring 203

A Wide Range of Examples and Case Studies 203

Biodiversity Reviews 203

Remote Sensing of Freshwater Fish Biodiversity 212

Biodiversity Indicators 213

Trends in Habitat and Ecosystem Extent 213

Threatened Species Habitat 215

Trends in Invasive Alien Species 218

Patterns of Biodiversity 221

Plant Species Richness 221

Animal Species Richness 225

Biodiversity and Fragmentation 228

Biodiversity Monitoring Programs 230

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute 230

New Zealand Biodiversity Monitoring Program 232

Australia Biodiversity Monitoring Program 234

Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program 239

7 Conclusion 245

Remote Sensing Across Disciplines-Revisited Technological Innovation in Data and Image Processing 247

Applications Insights 249

Future 251

I Annotated Bibliography of Selected Reference Books Documenting the Development of Remote Sensing in Environmental Applications 255

II Common and Scientific Names of Species Mentioned in the Text 261

III A Selection of Past, Current, and Planned Remote-Sensing Satellites 265

IV A Selection of Past, Current, and Planned Sensor Payloads on Remote-Sensing Satellites 273

References 289

Index 335