Toward a High Spatial Resolution Aerial Monitoring Network for Nature Conservation—How Can Remote Sensing Help Protect Natural Areas?

Abstract

Aerial surveys have always significantly contributed to the accurate mapping of certain geographical phenomena. Remote sensing opened up new perspectives in nature monitoring with state-of-the-art technical solutions using modern onboard recording equipment. We developed the technical background and the methodology that supports detailed and cost-effective monitoring of a network of natural areas, thereby detecting temporal changes in the spatial pattern of land cover, species, biodiversity, and other natural features. In this article, we share our experiences of the technical background, geometric accuracy and results of comparisons with selected Copernicus Land Monitoring products and an Ecosystem Map based on the testing of our methodology at 25 sites in Hungary. We combined a high-spatial-resolution aerial remote sensing service with field studies to support an efficient nature conservation monitoring network at 25 permanent sites. By analyzing annually (or more frequently) orthophotos taken with a range of 0.5–5 cm spatial resolution and 3D surface models of aerial surveys, it is possible to map the upper canopy of vegetation species. Furthermore, it allows us to accurately follow the changes in the dynamics at the forest edge and upper canopy, or the changes in species’ dominance in meadows. Additionally, spatial data obtained from aerial surveys and field studies can expand the knowledge base of the High-Resolution Aerial Monitoring Network (HRAMN) and support conservation and restoration management. A well-conducted high-resolution survey can reveal the impacts of land interventions and habitat regeneration. By building the HRAMN network, nature conservation could have an up-to-date database that could prompt legal processes, establish protection designation procedures and make environmental habitat management more cost-effective. Landscape protection could also utilize the services of HRAMN in planning and risk reduction interventions through more reliable inputs to environmental models.

The green light for air transport: sustainable aviation at present

“…Aircraft are essential tools for landscape protection (Bakó et al, 2021). Aerial monitoring is a scientific, welldocumented, verifiable method that enables continuous mapping and verifying the accuracy of data gained from other sources.…”

The Role of Soils in Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Soils are not passive victims of climate change; they possess the potential to adapt and demonstrate resilience. This capacity is rooted in soil biodiversity, where a diverse range of organisms contributes to greater robustness and ability to recover [32,58,59].…”

Detection and Monitoring of Woody Vegetation Landscape Features Using Periodic Aerial Photography

“…However, extending such an approach to a regional scale is, in the best case, impractical (e.g., time-consuming, incurring high costs, requiring high data capacity and computational power). Some of the recent approaches have, thus, started addressing the middle ground, where high-resolution vegetation monitoring on a regional or state level is based on periodic aerial surveys [22]. For instance, the cyclic aerial photography of Slovenia (CAS) has been performed in digital form regularly since 2006, with a period of approximately three years in which the whole area of the country is covered.…”