Special Issue on Earth Observation for the Sustainable Development Goals

Deadline for submission of full papers: 30 August 2018 Worldwide, countries are setting their national targets and determining indicators for monitoring advances towards the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which account for differing national realities, capacities and levels of development. Earth Observation (EO) systems have a definitive and preponderant role to play in supporting and tracking progress of the SDGs. Remote sensing is progressively supporting ecosystems and land degradation mapping and monitoring. As well, policy-makers and practitioners are increasingly realising the potential of remote sensing technologies for planning land restoration and rehabilitation responses, especially in multifunctional landscapes. This special issue welcomes contributions that showcase the application of EO systems to support countries in target setting of the SDGs, including baseline determination, as well as tracking progress of implementation, and informing sustainable development planning and decision making. This includes, but is not limited to: applications of EO in support of sub-national, national and/or regional policy and practice to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, assessment of forest and above ground carbon stocks, land productivity and vegetation trend analysis, land use/land cover change, soil organic carbon estimations, land degradation trends, agricultural monitoring, monitoring of water-related ecosystems mapping urban growth monitoring air quality monitoring marine ecosystem health and inshore water quality[GM1] The papers should highlight the Sustainable Development Goal and target(s) that the research contributes to advance. We are calling for submission of a 400 abstract by end of March 2018 to g.metternicht@unsw.edu.au