Expected Advances in a Rapidly Developing Work Area

Rapid changes in the global environment, including those associated with climatic fluctuation, are necessitating new approaches to nature conservation, which are being facilitated and partly driven by the introduction and advancement of earth observation technologies. These include ground, airborne and spaceborne platforms and sensors as well as advanced computing hardware and software. A key development in recent years has been the provision of free and open earth observation data and derived datasets as well as methods used for their processing and analysis. Many organisations (e.g., space agencies, governments) are increasingly recognising the need to provide relevant information to a wide range of users, including those charged with nature conservation, but there is still a need to ensure that requirements are conveyed and adequately addressed. Furthermore, practitioners should ensure that they obtain the capacity, knowledge and skills necessary to ensure correct and informed use of these data, particularly in relation to management of protected and also unprotected areas. Systems that effectively integrate data from a wide range of sources also need to be developed, particularly for monitoring.