This report presents the outcomes of the first module of the Biodiversa+ Habitat Pilot, conducted from January to August 2024.
The module reviewed existing methods for mapping and quality monitoring of grassland and wetland habitats across Europe, with a focus on remote sensing and Earth observation approaches. Eleven countries and regions contributed to the review, compiling and analysing over 40 habitat mapping and monitoring methods and projects.
The report highlights the diversity of current practices, from field-based habitat surveys to the use of remote sensing, GIS, LiDAR, UAVs and machine learning. It identifies key opportunities and challenges for using these methods in habitat monitoring, including data integration, validation, capacity building, regular updates and methodological harmonisation.
The review provides a basis for the next modules of the Habitat Pilot, where selected methods will be tested in grassland and wetland pilot sites and used to inform recommendations for more harmonised habitat mapping and monitoring across Europe.
Publication Date: 2024-10-01