High-resolution satellite remote sensing: a new frontier for biodiversity exploration in Indian Himalayan forests

Abstract

Satellite imagery with fine spectral and spatial resolution and high temporal resolution provides a unique opportunity to map and monitor biodiversity. The aim of this article is (i) to review the state of the use of high-resolution remote sensing for ecological studies in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and (ii) to suggest further potential avenues of research in the region using this technology. It has been recognized that the recent improvements in remote sensing have enabled researchers to categorize and spatially map species and communities and to detect vegetation types based on ecological gradients and environmental drivers. Across the globe, the use of current high-resolution imagery in vegetation studies is increasing due to their improved efficiency, as fine-scale vegetation information is needed for both theoretical understanding of the processes involved and conservation towards the maintenance of ecological functions of natural ecosystems. Remote sensing is particularly useful in the IHR, where field-based mapping of forest vegetation and land cover using conventional techniques is a cost- and time-intensive effort. Mapping fine-scale patterns of tree species using high-resolution remote-sensing data has important implications for the understanding and monitoring of ecosystem function and biodiversity patterns in forests.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Drs Harini Nagendra and Sunil Dangwal and the anonymous reviewers for commenting on earlier versions of this article. SG thanks the University of KwaZulu-Natal for a postdoctoral fellowship. DR is partially funded by the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy) within the ACE-SAP project (regulation number 23, 12 June 2008, of the University and Scientific Research Service).

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