Global Wetland Mapping and Sustainable Development Goals

Scope

As one of the three largest ecosystems on Earth, the significance and value of wetlands have been recognized due to their roles in delivering multiple ecosystem services. However, intensified anthropogenic threats and notable climate change have resulted in striking wetland loss and degradation. In the meantime, enhanced wetland conservation and climate change have also promoted evident wetland gain in some parts of the world. Wetland change induced a series of environmental issues such as changes in climate conditions, carbon storage, and habitat quality, which were valued by international society. Comprehensive cognition of wetland change is not only related to a series of international conventions, but also is required for sustainable ecosystem management, policy improvement, and scientific research.

Remote sensing data have been widely used in wetland research, especially wetland classification. However, the observation theory and method of wetlands using multiple remote sensing data sources were relatively weak compared to other ecosystem types, which limited the recognition of wetland patterns, processes, functions, and services at a broad scale. Currently, some basic questions about global wetlands remain unclear, such as the total area and distribution. The current estimates on the global wetland area are mostly based on datasets integrating several maps produced for different regions in various periods. Accurate wetland inventories are available only in several countries. Conservation targets of wetlands were highlighted in the United Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and also the Convention on Biological Diversity. As such, conserving wetlands at the global scale can play an important role in implementing nature-based solutions for achieving harmony between people and nature.

In recent years, accurate wetland mapping, monitoring of wetland patterns and structures, and assessment of wetland functions and services have become possible thanks to the increasing accessibility to multi-source remote sensing data, artificial intelligence, and cloud-computing platforms. Therefore, a special issue focusing on remote sensing of wetlands is important. The submissions aim to exchange the latest research results of wetland remote sensing theory, wetland classification, wetland conservation, and wetland management in the contexts of social and economic development and global change. We welcome articles from the global research community actively involved in this theme.

Potential topics for original research papers and review articles include, but are not limited to:

• Wetland mapping at a large scale using multi-source data;
• Wetland classification using artificial intelligence;
• Remote observations on the impacts of global change upon wetlands;
• Assessment of Sustainable Development Goals related to wetlands;
• Remote sensing monitoring of wetland functions and services.

Guest Editors

Dehua Mao
Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Qiusheng Wu
Department of Geography & Sustainability, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Weiwei Sun
Ningbo University, Ningbo, China

Yanfei Zhong
State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University

Zhenguo Niu
Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Submission Instructions

Please indicate in your cover letter that your submission is intended for inclusion in the special issue.

Submission Deadline: March, 1, 2024

Table of Contents

Articles will appear here once they publish.