Remote sensing of biodiversity and climate change: adaptation and mitigation prospective

Abstract

The vital role of biodiversity cannot be ignored in the context of changing climate as its critical role in affecting the key ecological processes, that is, productivity, regulation of climate and hydrological cycle, maintenance of atmosphere, water, and soil fertility, are determinants of ecosystem health. In this regard, plant diversity plays a major and dominant role in providing niches to other biota. Additionally, climate change has become a significant new threat imposing increasingly higher risks of extinction with an increase of 2°C–3°C temperature above preindustrial level. Thus more robust and meaningful research on biodiversity especially on plant diversity in response to various drivers must be carried out to analyze their geographic pattern and response toward the climate change scenario to formalize most suitable conservation prioritization along with their sustainable use. Most of the essential indicators for biodiversity monitoring can be derived from remotely sensed imageries. Researchers are using high resolution earth observation data to derive environmental heterogeneity parameters useful to study biodiversity and climate change. Considering the prevailing climate change scenario, modeling approaches and understanding of environmental variability along with multi-scale approaches, the advances in understanding can enhance the biodiversity conservation measures. This chapter also discusses on the adaptation and mitigation strategies which help maintain ecosystem resilience. The importance of global collaboration and local actions in tackling biodiversity and climate challenges, offering solutions that align with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land) are discussed.