1. Space and Conservation

.title[
# 1. Space and Conservation
]
.author[
### Jasper Slingsby, BIO3014S
]
.date[
### 2026-08-21
]

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???

Can anyone tell me what this picture is?

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background-image: url("data:image/png;base64,#images/earthrise.png")
background-size: contain

text-color: white

???

And this one?

What would you call it?

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## "The Blue Marble" and "Earthrise"

<br>

These and other photographs taken by astronauts and early satellites in the late 1960s and early 1970s were among the first _earth observations_ from space.

They helped establish a link between space and conservation almost immediately.

By highlighting Earth as a single vulnerable, interconnected system in the darkness of space with limited resources and no escape options, these pictures sparked a new era in _environmental consciousness_ and the need to better understand and protect our environment.

]

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## Habitat loss and degradation have been the greatest threats to biodiversity

dominant threats to species from the [Red List of South African Plants](http://redlist.sanbi.org/stats.php)

???

The biggest threats to biodiversity to date have been directly linked to the conversion of or impact on habitats, and are typically explicit in space (i.e. area).

Threats like climate change or atmospheric pollution are less specifically area-focused, in that their effects occur almost everywhere, but they are still impending crises and have not been the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss to date.

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### Area-based conservation has been the primary approach to stemming biodiversity loss and attempting to "bend the curve"

from [IIASA via Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2020-09-biodiversity-loss.html), based on [Leclere et al. 2020](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2705-y)

???

Conservation areas have been key in stemming biodiversity loss, and will continue to be, even in the face of climate change.

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## Global protected areas

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Large parts of the globe are protected for conservation.

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## Change in protected area and OECM* coverage

*OECM = Other effective area-based conservation measures. Targets are for Aichi Target 11 (by 2020).

Data from [Protected Planet](https://livereport.protectedplanet.net/chapter-3) - reported in million km<sup>2<sup>.

???

And global conservation goals aim to increase that coverage.

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## We have a current target of 30% protected by 2030...

.footnote[The signing of the [**Global Biodiversity Framework**, Dec 2022](https://www.cbd.int/gbf/)]

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## But there are many tough questions...

- Where should we put (or expand) protected areas?
- How do we ensure the effectiveness of our protected areas?
- How do we protect biodiversity outside protected areas?

Answering these requires:
  - Mapping biodiversity
  - Identifying and assessing threats to biodiversity
  - Deciding on biodiversity conservation priorities
  - Optimising trade-offs in priorities for protected area design
  - Tools to inform management
    - Early warning systems
    - Monitoring change in biodiversity and other key variables (e.g. fire, land cover change, etc)

> _Most of these are inherently spatial problems, typically requiring use of GIS_

> _Most can benefit from satellite remote sensing_

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### Mapping biodiversity

The biomes and ecosystems of South Africa...

Estimated plant species richness across South Africa

]

???

We need to map the biodiversity we aim to protect.

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### Assessing threats to biodiversity

The remaining extent of South African ecosystems...

SA plant taxa of conservation concern

???

And assess where that biodiversity faces the greatest threat...

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### Setting conservation priorities

South Africa's biodiversity priority areas...

South Africa’s Red List of Terrestrial Ecosystems (RLEs)

???

These maps are used to guide conservation action.

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### Tools to inform management

Fire history...

.footnote[MODIS fire record 2000-2021 - made in [Google Earth Engine](https://earthengine.google.org/)]
]

Near-real-time vegetation change

???

And remote sensing can provide valuable tools for monitoring and managing biodiversity in our priority and/or protected areas.

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## Take-home

>*Much of biodiversity conservation is a _spatial_ problem*

>*The primary approach to conserving biodiversity is expanding and maintaining protected areas*

>*Expanding and maintaining protected areas requires answering many tough questions like:*

>   - *"Where should we prioritise expansion?"*
>   - *"How do we maintain effective protected areas?"*
>   - *"What about biodiversity outside protected areas?"*

>*Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and satellite remote sensing are used extensively in conservation to help address these issues.*

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## The rest of this module:

### This week

- Today: Intro to the module
- Tuesday: Area-Based Conservation
- Wednesday: Threat assessments
- Thursday: Remote Sensing of Biodiversity
- Friday: Guest lecture by Dr Andrew Skowno (SANBI)

### Next week

- Monday: Discussion of Gurney et al. 2023 and the **Practical!**
- Tuesday (or Thursday): Protecting Area or Mystery Guest Lecture
- Wednesday: Guest lecture by Dr Glenn Moncrieff, The Nature Conservancy
- Thursday (or Tuesday): Protecting Area or Mystery Guest Lecture 
- Friday: Revision/Reflection

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# Thanks!

Slides created via the R packages:

[**xaringan**](https://github.com/yihui/xaringan)<br>
[gadenbuie/xaringanthemer](https://github.com/gadenbuie/xaringanthemer)

The chakra comes from [remark.js](https://remarkjs.com), [**knitr**](http://yihui.name/knitr), and [R Markdown](https://rmarkdown.rstudio.com).