Dear Colleagues,

Human-induced global changes in both climate and land cover are unprecedented, leading to the start of a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Land cover change, fragmentation, climate change, hunting, and poaching are currently the main contributors to species extinctions, with an estimated 11,000–58,000 species lost per year (Dirzo et al., 2014). Moreover, these global changes are affecting ecosystem health and the provision of ecosystem services (e.g., Lee et al. 2015; Lawler et al. 2014).

Spatial analysis and remote sensing are increasingly being used in the practice of conservation, as it allows monitoring of the extent and condition of ecosystems and biodiversity continuously across large areas and at multiple scales (Petorelli et al. 2014). Remotely sensed Earth observations are essential for the identification of biodiversity indicators to support Aichi Biodiversity targets, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and other conservation frameworks (O’Connor et al. 2015; Cord et al. 2017).

Remotely sensed data, coupled with spatial analysis techniques, can support conservation efforts in different ways. Rose et al. (2014), for example, identified remote sensing contributions to 10 major conservation themes, including species distributions, animal movements, ecosystem responses and resilience to stressors, ecosystem monitoring, evaluation of ecosystem changes, and their impacts on species and functions. 

This Special Issue aims to examine applications of spatial analysis and remote sensing to conservation. Submissions are invited across a range of topics, including habitat modeling, ecosystem monitoring, conservation planning, and capacity development. Contributions may include but are not limited to applications of new remotely sensed data types, new and novel applications of geospatial products, and the development of new methods to address conservation goals.

Dr. Florencia Sangermano
Dr. John Rogan
Dr. Robert Rose
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Conservation planning
• Habitat and species distribution modeling
• Ecosystem monitoring
• Habitat connectivity
• Linkages of academia with applied conservation practices
• Capacity development in spatial conservation