ESA Earth Observation Science for Society project, GlobDiversity, developed a set of Essential Biodiversity Variables based on satellite data. Led by the University of Zurich, GlobDiversity identified that data from Copernicus Sentinel-2 and the United States' Landsat 8 satellite could be used to monitor:
Based on data collected from space, these three EBVs were tested on ten pilot sites in four key biomes – arctic tundra, temperate forest, wetlands and tropical rainforest. For example, the project looked at how measurements of canopy chlorophyll content can be used to detect how the spruce bark beetle causes stress to ecosystem structure and function in Germany's Bavarian Forest National Park, what measuring habitat fragmentation can tell us about how local conservation and water management measures have impacted the habitat connectivity and fragmentation of the dark spreadwing damselfly in the Camargue region of France, and how monitoring land surface phenology can support local conservation practitioners and authorities to improve their ability to conserve the Siberian white crane in Russia's Kytalyk National Park.
By contributing to identifying which EBVs can be retrieved from satellite data, GlobDiversity is supporting efforts to build a global knowledge system on ecosystem biodiversity.