The ecosystem functioning dimension in conservation: insights from remote sensing

Abstract

An important goal of conservation biology is the maintenance of ecosystem processes. Incorporating quantitative measurements of ecosystem functions into conservation practice is important given that it provides not only proxies for biodiversity patterns, but also new tools and criteria for management. In the satellite era, the translation of spectral information into ecosystem functional variables expands and complements the more traditional use of satellite imagery in conservation biology. Remote sensing scientists have generated accurate techniques to quantify ecosystem processes and properties of key importance for conservation planning such as primary production, ecosystem carbon gains, surface temperature, albedo, evapotranspiration, and precipitation use efficiency; however, these techniques are still unfamiliar to conservation biologists. In this article, we identify specific fields where a remotely-sensed characterization of ecosystem functioning may aid conservation science and practice. Such fields include the management and monitoring of species and populations of conservation concern; the assessment of ecosystem representativeness and singularity; the use of protected areas as reference sites to assess global change effects; the implementation of monitoring and warning systems to guide adaptive management; the direct evaluation of supporting ecosystem services; and the planning and monitoring of ecological restorations. The approaches presented here illustrate feasible ways to incorporate the ecosystem functioning dimension into conservation through the use of satellite-derived information.

Environmental and Human Controls of Ecosystem Functional Diversity in Temperate South America

“…Recently, the ecosystem functioning dimension of biodiversity has gained attention [3] given that global change effects on biodiversity are particularly noticeable at the ecosystem level [4] and have a faster influence on functional than on structural or compositional characteristics of ecosystems [5,6]. Thus, understanding how environmental and human factors operate on the functional dimension of biodiversity at different scales is critical for sustaining and enhancing the Earth's ecosystems.…”

“…Our definition of EFTs is based on estimators of the seasonal dynamics of carbon gains, but remote sensing may provide additional functional variables to complement ecosystem functioning descriptions at the same and different spatial and temporal resolutions [3,86,87]. For instance, Fernández et al [23] showed how adding shortwave albedo and surface temperature, two variables closely linked to the exchange of energy in ecosystems, to carbon gains descriptors helped to complement the ecosystem functioning characterization at more detailed spatial resolutions.…”

“…Traditionally, inventorying and monitoring biodiversity have been based on structural and compositional features (mainly at the species level), but rarely on functional features of ecosystems [1,2]. During the last decade, though, the role of ecosystem functioning in both environmental management and biodiversity conservation has significantly increased [3]. The ecosystem functioning dimension of biodiversity has gained attention given that global change effects on biodiversity are particularly noticeable at the ecosystem level [4] and have a faster influence on functional than on structural or compositional characteristics of ecosystems [5,6].…”

“…Responses ranged from increases in species richness due to the introduction of exotics at low human pressure [59], to species loss or displacements at high rates of human intervention [64,65]. However, most of these studies focused at the species level and on the compositional component of biodiversity, but paid little attention to the functional aspects of biodiversity at the ecosystem level [3].…”

Evaluation and analysis of post-seismic restoration of ecological security in Wenchuan using remote sensing and GIS

“…In accordance with the development of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), more and more researchers have been engaged in adopting them to evaluate the state of ecosystem in many aspects, such as the ecological security in urban ecosystem (Masek et al 2000;Singh et al 2009;Naeimi et al 2013;Xu et al 2014) and in mining areas (Ma et al 2013), ecological vulnerability in mountainous regions (Li et al 2006;Song et al 2010), ecological health in rivers and wetlands (Luo 2006;Coskun 2009), and ecosystem function in conservation areas (Halim et al 2008;Cabello et al 2012;Lebed et al 2012).…”