"Spaced" - Protecting natural landscapes from above

Bjorn Alfthan

By GRID-Arendal

January 10^th, 2018

A new exhibit on display at the European Parliament explores the crucial role of satellites in observing and conserving Europe´s natural areas.

With over 120,000 sites, Europe has more protected areas than any other region on Earth. Yet, despite this large number many are like small islands, surrounded by agriculture, transport networks and relentless urban development.

Scientists and park managers across Europe have the difficult task of ensuring these protected areas stay healthy - and continue to provide the benefits we all expect from nature. These include clean water and air, refuge for important species and, of course, places where everyone can escape the hustle and bustle of modern life.

It´s a monumental task. Thankfully, the satellites that monitor the earth have made our life a lot easier. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Landsat and the European Space Agency´s Sentinel satellites can track anything from deforestation, the status of crops or the ozone layer, glacier or snow melting and provide important information for relief efforts after natural disasters. The ESA´s new Sentinel 5 satellite, launched in October 2017, can also track air pollution in extraordinary detail.

In many cases, the technology has moved so fast that scientists are playing catch-up and are only beginning to grasp the potential of satellites to help manage Europe´s protected areas.

The European Union´s largest research funding source, Horizon 2020, is keenly aware of this and has supported the development of ECOPOTENTIAL, a unique project that involves 47 partners from around the continent. ECOPOTENTIAL focusses on developing satellite (otherwise known as Earth Observation) products and data to monitor and predict changes in Europe´s ecosystems.

ECOPOTENTIAL´s testing ground is 25 protected areas around Europe, which represent almost all of Europe´s biogeographic areas and include mountain, marine and coastal and semi-arid zones.

"Spaced" - Protecting natural landscapes from above

To help promote this important project GRID-Arendal, UN Environment, the Italian National Research Centre (CNR), and all ECOPOTENTIAL partners opened an exhibition entitled "Spaced: Using Earth Observations to Protect Natural Landscapes" at the European Parliament yesterday.

The exhibit showcases Earth observation products derived from US and European satellites, stunning photos and accompanying stories that explore how protected area managers and scientists from the ECOPOTENTIAL project are working together to safeguard some of Europe's most iconic protected areas. Ultimately, this is a story about how science and modern technology benefit European society as a whole.

It´s amazing what can be done with satellites in these protected areas.

In the Swiss National Park, satellite imagery is being used to distinguish different forest structures and tree species. This information goes into a model to map forests that are most important in preventing the formation of avalanches. The aim is for this model to be applied to other areas of Switzerland.

The canopy height model for the Swiss National Park was generated for ECOPOTENTIAL by the Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère based on data from Swiss Federal Office of Topography.

In Spain’s Sierra Nevada, an ancient irrigation network built during Muslim era from the 9th Century onwards still exists on the mountain slopes. These irrigation channels direct water from the high mountain slopes, which are covered in snow during the winter, down to the drier lower slopes. ECOPOTENTIAL scientists are now exploring if these channels can be restored to deliver much needed water under drier conditions to downstream areas.

Swiss National Park and Sierra Nevada are just two of the 23 protected areas that are on display, each with a unique story, satellite image and accompanying photos.

Distribution of the natural hydrological network in Sierra Nevada (blue) in comparison with the network of ancient irrigation channels (orange). The background image shows photosynthetically active vegetation (green), bare soil and snow (both light coloured). USGS/NASA Landsat 5 TM (19 June 2011). Irrigation channel data courtesy of EU F7 MEMOLA project.

In the Sierra Nevada, the effect of water provided by irrigation channels can be quantified by satellites. This picture (from a Landsat image acquired on 19 June 2011) shows differences between more productive pastures beneath the channel (green) and less productive ones above (red). Landsat courtesy of USGS/NASA Landsat program.

Kurt Vandenberghe, Director for Directorate Climate Action and Resource Efficiency, European Commission

The Exhibit opened to a packed audience of about 120 people yesterday.

A panel showing the Tatra mountains in the Carpathians.

A panoramic shot of the panels, taken later in the evening. All 25 panels will now move to the European Committee of Regions building

Further details of the exhibit launch can be found here. Those with passes to the European Parliament can view it from 8-12 January 2018 in the Altiero Spinelli building D, 3rd floor, bar area.

The exhibit will be moving to the European Committee of Regions building in Brussels and will be on display throughout February. The exhibit will also be made available online at www.ecopotential-project.eu shortly.