Remote sensing from space—present and future applications in forestry, nature conservation and landscape management

Past studies have suggested that sound knowledge about the reflectance characteristics of objects could be of great value in understanding the physical, chemical, and the spatial properties of features on our planet. These characteristics can be assessed remotely, and the available techniques hold considerable promise for the inventory and monitoring of natural resources. However, a significant lack of information concerning the full potential of this recent technology has resulted in an inadequate appreciation of the many possible applications in various domains. This paper presents the current situation regarding the development of satellite remote sensing technology within the fields of forestry, nature conservation, and landscape management in terms of resource assessment and monitoring. Future applications are reported on by having a closer look at the new generation of sensor systems and satellites, since methods currently used for environmental monitoring and resource survey appear to be fairly ina...