EO4AgroClimate Using Earth Observation data to improve datasets for biosecurity risk mapping of pest and disease and biocontrol suitability

This project aims to use image and climatic data, collected by global satellites, to help improve estimates where pests and diseases of agriculture may spread. Changing climates mean that more areas globally are becoming suitable for pests and diseases of agriculture to establish in places that were previously climatically unsuitable. An increase in global trade and new trade pathways increases the risk of biological invasions by agricultural and environmental pests. Bioclimatic models can help those protecting our borders from non-native species to understand and better manage current and emerging pest risks. These bioclimatic models rely upon pest distribution data to infer climatic suitability. The spread of irrigation and protected agriculture (glasshouses and polyhouses) is distorting the relationship between pest distribution and climate suitability, allowing pests to spread to areas that would otherwise be unsuitable due to drought or cold stress. Consequently, models built using data that includes pest locations in these artificial environments substantially distort the projected pest risks. In this project we are developing spatial datasets of irrigation and protected agriculture, allowing bioclimatic modellers to estimate pest risks more accurately. Through this project a new research consortium has been formed of researchers from Australia and the UK.