Earth Observation to produce indices of habitat condition and change

The research reported here sought to test if the principles used in the National Forestry Inventory (NFI) to monitor the habitat resource (forest) through Earth Observation (EO) might be extended to a wider suite of habitat types. The NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) was asked to focus the selection of habitat types and review the understanding of how EO data could aid the identification of changed land use and management. CEH was also asked to draw up a plan for a practical test of how the project findings could be carried out. The approach comprised five steps, which are described within the present report. Step 1 (Report Section 2.1): Appraisal of relevant extant and ongoing projects that have reviewed EO based techniques for condition monitoring of specific habitats. Step 2 (Report Section 2.2): Comprehensive assessment of condition measures assessment as theyit areis applied to all UK habitats, both at a Broad and Priority scale (see Appendix 4 and Summary Table 3). CEH identified those habitats for which existing data are most detailed, and where knowledge of the mechanisms of habitat change and their causes are best understood, and thus where EO-derived measures appeared most relevant. Step 3 (Report Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3): Examination of detection of change by EO at a broad scale across the UK through both passive and active approaches, followed by a systematic appraisal of the condition measures identified in Step 2. Step 4 (Report Sections 3.4 and 3.5): The project then described how a system might operate in practice, using a theoretical example for monitoring grassland condition, based upon the readiness of each method and whether parameters required calibration/ validation. Step 5 (Report Section 4): A detailed outline is included for a practical test to be conducted on the application of the project findings. Four pilot studies are considered, each reviewed in terms of relevant EO variables and condition measures, together with their readiness for application.