Earth observation for biodiversity monitoring

The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area and its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. [...] In response to a request from the CBD Secretariat, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), together with a wide range of contributors and interviewees, undertook a review of the use of remotely sensed data for monitoring biodiversity change and tracking progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. [...] AIM AND STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT This report offers an accessible overview of the possibilities that remotely sensed data provide to biodiversity monitoring in the context of the Aichi Targets. [...] The third section of the report describes the limitations and key challenges that have prevented the uptake of EO data for indicator development more broadly, and ends with some discussion of the way forward. [...] A REVIEW OF CURRENT APPROACHES AND FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRACKING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE AICHI BIODIVERSITY TARGETS 21 Figure 1. The pathway to biodiversity indicators for the Aichi Biodiversity Targets from remotely sensed data and the role of EBVs.