WILDLIFE MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT USING
REMOTE SENSING AND GIS
Laxmi N. Goparaju
Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Introduction
Mapping the wildlife and monitoring their habitats has long been one of the aims
of Geospatial technology. Traditional methods of inventorying wildlife have always left some
lacuna and hindered in providing a good database. The advent of remote sensing satellites has
eased this labour intensive task by making use of satellite data which is measured remotely
with sensors and cameras in different spatial, spectral and temporal resolution. Thus, this
serves as the quickest possible method for inventorying and observing the natural resources.
The advantage of remotely sensed data is that it provides synoptic, regular, near real time and
quite accurate data which can be utilized by the wildlife managers for assessing the species-
habitat relationship and how they are impacted by the environment (Keller et al., 2014). The
latest satellite images provide with higher spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions which are
now made available for free via USGS, NOAA and Copernicus portal
(https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/; https://www.copernicus.eu/en).Besides, availability of big
data in cloud has made computations easier. One such platform is Global Forest Watch which
is based on Google Earth Engine platform and makes use of Landsat data from the past
40years. It helps in analyses by indirect methods such as species occurrence indicators for
example forest fragmentation (Riiters et al., 2014). The progress made in other technologies
like in in situ sensors for example bioacoustics, tags and camera traps help in providing non –
destructive and partially automated ground surveying opportunities (Lausch et al., 2016;
Hansen et al., 2013). Animals are associated with their environments at different spatial and
temporal scales, and they differ in having specific ranges. Animal locations on ground
coupled with remote sensing data and its analysis in Geographic Information System (GIS)
domain provides us with better results regarding their habitat and ranges and also their
interaction with the environment. Thus, conservation policies can be benefitted from such
technological solutions.
Learning Outcomes
Wildlife Habitat Suitability analysis using remote sensing and GIS
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Some online interactive web applications like Map of Life, FIRECAST, Global Forest
Watch and Half-life.
Before going further, I would like to introduce what is satellite remote sensing and GIS?
Remote sensing satellites
A satellite with remote sensors to observe the Earth and its features is called a
remote-sensing satellite, or Earth observation satellite. They are characterized by their
altitude, orbit and sensor. The data is available in various types of resolution; they are
spectral, radiometric, spatial and temporal resolution. Resolution is defined as the ability of
an entire remote-sensing system, including lens antennae, display, exposure, processing, and
other factors, to render a sharply defined image.
1. Spectral Resolution: of a remote sensing instrument (sensor) is determined by the
band-widths of the Electro-magnetic radiation of the channels used. High spectral
resolution, thus, is achieved by narrow bandwidths width, collectively, are likely to
provide a more accurate spectral signature for discrete objects than broad bandwidth.
2. Radiometric Resolution: is determined by the number of discrete levels into which
signals may be divided. Thus, it is a measure of how many grey levels are there
between pure black and pure white. It is measured in bits, 7bit (0-127); 8bit (0-255);
9bit (0-511) and 10bit (0-1023). Examples: IRS -1A/1B (1988, 1991) measure images
in 7 bits. Cartosat -2 (2007) produces images in 10-bit radiometric resolution.16-bit
images are obtained from IRS -P3 (1996) MOS –A, MOS –B and MOS – C.
3. Spatial Resolution: in terms of the geometric properties of the imaging system, is
usually described as the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) that is defined as the
maximum angle of view in which a sensor can effectively detect electro-magnetic
energy.
4. Temporal Resolution: is related to the repetitive coverage of the ground by the
remote sensing system. For example, the temporal resolution of Landsat 4/5 is
sixteen days.
Remote Sensing science and application can be summarized in the following
segments: 1) Source of electromagnetic energy (sun, transmitter carried by the sensor) 2)
Transmission of energy from the source to the surface of the earth and its interaction with the
intervening atmosphere 3) Interaction of energy with the earth surface 4) Transmission of the
reflected/emitted energy to the remote sensor placed on suitable platform 5) Detection of the
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energy by the sensor converting into photographic image or electrical output 6)
Transmission/recording of the sensor output 7) Preprocessing of the data for generation of
data products 8) Collection of ground truth and other collateral information and 9) Data
processing and interpretation.
Geographic Information System
The main components involved are computer software and hardware systems for
creating, managing, manipulating, evaluating, condensing, and displaying spatial data. Many
GIS packages represent geographic features in the form of points, lines and polygons. This
format is known as vector as illustrated by points, lines and polygons which are connected to
each other by vectors (directional line segments). Each feature in GIS database has its own
identity and is associated with its coordinates and attributes. It is capable of querying and
answering searches based on one’s interests. The biggest advantage of GI is that it integrates
various thematic layers and finally displays as a single map for better comprehension and
visualization.
Google Earth Engine
The problem of big data management was overcome by the Google Earth Engine
which goes a long way in providing solutions within a smaller time frame. Large datasets can
be used from local to regional levels, reduced the computation time. A repository of coves
written in Javascript helps the researchers to utilize them with proficiency even though not
being a professional. Active online support of developers is also commendable. The
limitations of desktop computing are overcome, the major role is played by Application
Programming Interface (API) and a web based Interactive Development Environment (IDE)
(Tamiminia, 2020). The time series analysis (Time-lapse of GEE) and Climate Engine App
helps in monitoring temporal changes.
Wildlife Habitat Suitability
Traditional methods and ground based studies have been employed in studying
wildlife habitat and corridor use (Bhat and Rawat 1995, Johnsingh and Joshua 1994, Mishra
and Johnsingh 1996). They are time consuming and inefficient in hilly and inaccessible areas.
Studies in wildlife using geospatial technology have been gaining importance since the past
few decades in India and have emphasized its role in habitat evaluation, identification and
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management of wildlife corridors (Khanna et al. 2001, Kushwaha and Hazarika 2004, Nandy
et al. 2007).
From the conservation point of view, if wildlife habitats are known those areas
can be protected and conserved from degradation and destruction. GIS platform helps in
modelling wherein various parameters are included like water, land use and land cover,
forests, roads, railways, streams, drainage and slope. Various criteria are decided by the
researcher/analyst based on literature and ground knowledge. All the thematic layers are
combined using weighted overlay technique in GIS is used to derive a suitability map.
Species distribution models are prepared using various data, which identify other regions
with similar environment conditions which can be potential habitat for a specific species.
Such models use raster based layers such as land use/land cover and other above mentioned
layers. This data is then combined with ground based information and statistical
computations which predict the suitability and potentiality of the habitat (Goparaju et al.,
2017; Ahmad et al., 2018).
Map of Life: Putting Biodiversity on the Map.
Utilizing various sources of data which describe species distribution worldwide,
The Map of Life plays a major role in integrating them. Various organizations like
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) have provided data like expert
species range maps, species occurrence points, ecoregions, and protected areas which have
been put together into a cloud platform where the data is stored, managed, backed up and also
can be accessed. Thus, one of the target areas where Map of Life is focusing is “the best –
possible” species range information and species list for any geographic area. Besides, by
accumulating a wide range of knowledge about species distributions and their dynamic state
over a period of time, it also aims to support effective global biodiversity education, research
and monitoring and guiding decision support system for policy makers.
MoL (https://mol.org/) provides
Information on Species range and species list for any geographic area on Earth.
There are multiple tools to assist in exploring species habitat and trends in
biodiversity.
There is also a Mobile App which can be used for discovering, identifying and
recording biodiversity.
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https://www.gbif.org/ GBIF provides free and open access to data regarding all type
of lifeform throughout the world.
Forest health assessment: Web based systems like Fire Information for Resource
Management System (FIRMS) and FIRECAST
This is a web-based platform which disseminates Near Real Time active fire data
within 3 hours of satellite overpass. It also generates web-based fire maps, email alerts and
also has provision for active fire data download (SHP, TXT, and KML). FIRECAST utilizes
satellite data observations to track ecosystem disturbances such as fires, fire risk conditions,
deforestation and protected area encroachment, and ensure the details are delivered to
decision makers via E-mail alerts, maps and reports. It also detects active fires (MODIS AND
VIIRS), satellite-based weather conditions are also studied (https://firecast.conservation.org).
GLOBAL FOREST WATCH (https://www.globalforestwatch.org/)
The best available data about forests is available for free on Global Forest Watch
Platform. Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an online platform that provides satellite data and
other tools for monitoring forests. Alerts informed via E-mails and community participation
has help governments and companies accountable for illegal activities. It was launched in
2014, its aim for to provide transparent data and scientific information about the forests to
preserve them and decimate deforestation. GFW is free and user friendly, enabling anyone to
create customized maps, analyze the changes in forest and study the trends from local to
regional scale, subscribe to alerts, or download data for their local area or the entire world.
Users can also contribute to GFW by sharing data and stories from the ground via GFW's
crowdsourcing tools, blogs, and discussion groups.
Half – Earth Project: (https://www.half-earthproject.org/)
This is a combined initiative of E RI and ir E. O. Wilson’s Biodiversity Foundation
which aims to conserve half the earth’s lands and seas in order to protect 85 percent or more
of the planet’s biodiversity to reverse the current species extinction crisis. According to
Wilson, out of the 10million species present on the earth, only 2 million have been
successfully documented. They have introduced the concept of National Report cards which
will evaluate countries based on conservation efforts taken by them. It is expected that this
innovative way will help theEarth restore back its green cover and could save many more
species.
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