ABSTRACT
Habitat loss and degradation are among primary threats to biodiversity conservation (Fischer and Lindenmayer 2007). Habitat degradation makes the habitat less suitable for supporting a single species or a group of species. Habitat fragmentation is a type of human-induced habitat degradation that contributes to the declines in certain biodiversity. Habitat loss and fragmentation are two distinct but closely related processes. Remote sensing technology has been broadly used for assessing habitat loss and fragmentation in protected areas. Remote sensing has unique capabilities to acquire accurate, timely, and broad-scale habitat information that cannot be obtained easily with ground surveys (Duro et al. 2007; Lengyel et al. 2008; Newton et al. 2009). One of the simplest remote sensing approaches in habitat loss detection is to compare temporal changes in the extent/area of speci‰c habitat or a variety of habitats in a landscape or region. The detection of habitat fragmentation is relatively more complicated and requires spatially explicit
CONTENTS
8.1 Errors and Uncertainties in Habitat Assessment: An Introduction ...... 145 8.2 A Multiangle Point of View ...................................................................... 147 8.3 Enhancing Habitat Maps through Calibration ...................................... 150
8.3.1 Signals in Errors ............................................................................. 150 8.3.2 Error Matrix Algorithm Design ................................................... 150 8.3.3 A Demonstration with Synthetic Data ........................................ 151 8.3.4 Calibrating Real-World Maps with EMA ................................... 152
8.4 Concluding Remarks ................................................................................. 153 8.5 Summary ..................................................................................................... 153 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. 154 References ............................................................................................................. 154
habitat maps. In either case, remote sensing is almost the only practical approach to quantitatively evaluate and monitor habitat dynamics in protected areas, particularly in relatively large, remote geographical regions.
