EO4AgroClimate - Living Coasts

Encompassing ~ 4 % of the Earth's total land area, the coastal zone typically consists of mosaic of interconnected land and seascapes, with a diversity of habitats that vary geographically from the tropics to the poles. Included in these are vegetated communities such as saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses and seaweeds/kelps that provide ecosystem services (e.g., fisheries production, sediment and nutrient trapping, storm protection) for humans but also harbour a diverse range of flora and fauna. They further hold substantive amounts of carbon, which is becoming an increasingly important resource given the urgency to address climate change.

Approximately 40 % (~3.2 billion people) of the World's population live within 100 km of the coast and below 50 m in elevation coast. As such, coastal zones are threatened by increasing population growth and urbanisation, poor upstream land practices, conversion and modification of habitats, and environmental impacts from industry, pollutants and over-exploitation of resources. Informed management and use of the coastal zone is therefore becoming increasingly critical, particularly given the additional pressures arising from climate change.

Living Coasts will adapt existing capacity (developed jointly by Australia and the UK) that allows landscapes to be consistently characterised, mapped and monitored from Earth observation data to support the co-design and implementation of plans for maintaining, recovering and/or enhancing major components of the coastal zone (natural resources, biodiversity) and monitoring progress towards goals and ambitions.

Working within the framework of Open Data Cube (big data) instances across a range of countries and regions, Living Coasts will use the dense time-series of satellite optical and radar and also lidar to retrieve or classify environmental descriptors (EDs) and use these to construct and describe historical and current maps of land covers, with more detailed classification provided for "Blue Carbon (Coastal) Ecosystems (including mangroves, saltmarshes and sea grasses). Comparisons of these EDs and derived thematic classifications over varying timeframes will then be used to document past changes on the basis of evidence of impacts and driving pressures, with these obtained from a range of EO data but also other sources. Uncertainties in the EDs and derived thematic products will be assessed with reference to in situ field and airborne datasets.

This information will be used to inform decisions relating to the planning of future landscapes, including within a transformational framework that focuses on (re-)imagining, harmonizing viewpoints, valuing different landscape components, and assessing the realism of visions. A major output will the provision of generic capacity to spatially visualise proposed or predicted landscapes and components (values) under a range of economic and/or climate scenarios, quantify associated benefits and risks, and monitor progress towards co-designed plans primarily through Earth observations. In all cases, responses that promote positive pressures, avoid negative pressures or allow mitigation or adaption of those that cannot be avoided will be promoted, with optimal pathways to achievement highlighted.

User engagement is critical to the success of the proposed project, and will be undertaken in association with international organisations, national governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academic and research organisations, business and commerce, space agencies and citizens. Approaches will vary depending on whether these are directing, leading, initiating or funding or assisting and responding.