The current set of global conservation targets requires methods for monitoring the changing status of ecosystems. Protocols for ecosystem risk assessment are uniquely suited to this task, providing objective syntheses of a wide range of data to estimate the likelihood of ecosystem collapse. Satellite remote sensing can deliver ecologically relevant, long-term datasets suitable for analysing changes in ecosystem area, structure and function at temporal and spatial scales relevant to risk assessment protocols. However, there is considerable uncertainty about how to select and effectively utilise remotely sensed variables for risk assessment. Here, we review the use of satellite remote sensing for assessing spatial and functional changes of ecosystems, with the aim of providing guidance on the use of these data in ecosystem risk assessment. We suggest that decisions on the use of satellite remote sensing should be made a priori and deductively with the assistance of conceptual ecosystem models that identify the primary indicators representing the dynamics of a focal ecosystem.

当前的全球保护目标集需要用于监测生态系统变化状况的方法。生态系统风险评估的协议特别适合此任务，它提供了广泛的数据的客观综合信息，以估计生态系统崩溃的可能性。卫星遥感可以提供与生态有关的长期数据集，这些数据集适用于在与风险评估协议有关的时空尺度上分析生态系统面积，结构和功能的变化。但是，如何选择和有效利用遥感变量进行风险评估存在很大的不确定性。在这里，我们回顾了使用卫星遥感技术评估生态系统的空间和功能变化的目的，旨在为在生态系统风险评估中使用这些数据提供指导。在概念性生态系统模型的帮助下进行先验和演绎，该模型确定代表焦点生态系统动态的主要指标。