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Natura 2000 habitat identification and conservation status assessment with superresolution enhanced (CHRIS/Proba) imagery Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Monitoring and reporting on the status of Natura 2000 habitats is an obligation under the 1992 Habitats Directive for each member state of the European Union (EU). Satellite imagery providing up-to-date information for a large areal coverage could be an interesting source to complement conventional, but laborious, field-driven surveying methods. Quality of habitats can be assessed through their structures as represented by combinations of ...
Mapping Natura 2000 heathland in Belgium - An evaluation of ensemble classifiers for spaceborne angular CHRIS/Proba imagery Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union (EU). With the introduction of the Habitats Directive in 1992, EU member states are obligated to report every six years the status of the Natura 2000 habitats so that better conservation policy can be formulated. This paper examines the use of angular hyperspectral CHRIS/Proba image for the mapping of heathland at a Belgian Natura 2000 site. We find ...
Safeguarding Natura 2000 habitats from nitrogen deposition by tackling ammonia emissions from livestock facilities Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ghent University
Nitrogen deposition is one of the main environmental threats to the conservation goals in areas protected by the European Habitats Directive, a problem that is quite pronounced in the livestock-rich region of Flanders, Belgium. Livestock farms are often located close to Natura 2000 areas. Therefore, ammonia emissions from livestock housing and manure storage have a high contribution to the deposition in these nearby protected habitats. In order ...
Accounting for the recreation benefits of the Flemish Natura 2000 network through landscape preferences and estimated spending University of Antwerp
This paper describes the methods used to produce accounts for the recreational value of Natura 2000 areas in Flanders, Belgium. First, a biophysical account of recreation supply and demand is compiled and mapped. Demand is based on data for green visits per year per inhabitant and covers both recreation and nature-based tourism. It distinguishes local walking trips, local cycling, recreation trips with pre-transport and visits by tourists. The ...
Habitat Mapping and Quality Assessment of NATURA 2000 Heathland Using Airborne Imaging Spectroscopy Research Institute for Nature and Forest University of Antwerp
Appropriate management of (semi-)natural areas requires detailed knowledge of the ecosystems present and their status. Remote sensing can provide a systematic, synoptic view at regular time intervals, and is therefore often suggested as a powerful tool to assist with the mapping and monitoring of protected habitats and vegetation. In this study, we present a multi-step mapping framework that enables detailed NATURA 2000 (N2000) heathland habitat ...
The bioenergy potential of Natura 2000 – a synergy between climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection KU Leuven
Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. To date, actions proposed by the international community to address these problems have largely been conducted in a piecemeal fashion. Conservation biologists advocate for low-intensity management in temperate protected areas to maintain and restore biodiversity. Low-input, high-diversity biomass from such areas has been proposed as a promising ...
Mapping impact indicators to link airborne ammonia emissions with nitrogen deposition in Natura 2000 sites Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ghent University
Ammonia (NH3) deposition in natural areas is a pollution problem that is suited for spatially differentiated pollution control. The heterogeneous impact of nitrogen deposition from airborne ammonia emissions could serve as the basis for differentiated policy measures. Maps were developed that show the potential impact of ammonia emissions on protected Natura 2000 sites in Flanders, Belgium. These maps link the output of atmospheric dispersion ...
An object-based approach to quantity and quality assessment of heathland habitats in the framework of natura 2000 using hyperspectral airborne ahs images University of Antwerp
Straightforward mapping of detailed heathland habitat patches and their quality using remote sensing is hampered by (1) the intrinsic property of a high heterogeneity in habitat species composition (i.e. high intra-variability), and (2) the occurrence of the same species in multiple habitat types (i.e. low inter-variability). Mapping accuracy of detailed habitat objects can however be improved by using an advanced approach that specifically ...
An object-based approach to heath land habitat quantity and quality assessment in the framework of NATURA 2000 using hyperspectral airborne AHS images University of Antwerp
Straightforward mapping of detailed heathland habitat patches and their quality using remote sensing is hampered by (1) the intrinsic property of a high heterogeneity in habitat species composition (i.e. high intra-variability), and (2) the occurrence of the same species in multiple habitat types (i.e. low inter-variability). Mapping accuracy of detailed habitat objects can however be improved by using an advanced approach that specifically ...