Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable?
Cliffs are reservoirs of biodiversity; therefore, many plant species and communities of inland and coastal cliffs are protected by Council Directive 92/43/EEC (European Economic Community), and their monitoring is mandatory in European Union countries. Surveying plants on coastal cliff by traditiona...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/149 |
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| author | Sandro Strumia Maurizio Buonanno Giovanna Aronne Antonio Santo Annalisa Santangelo |
| author_facet | Sandro Strumia Maurizio Buonanno Giovanna Aronne Antonio Santo Annalisa Santangelo |
| author_sort | Sandro Strumia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cliffs are reservoirs of biodiversity; therefore, many plant species and communities of inland and coastal cliffs are protected by Council Directive 92/43/EEC (European Economic Community), and their monitoring is mandatory in European Union countries. Surveying plants on coastal cliff by traditional methods is challenging and alternatives are needed. We tested the use of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an alternative survey tool, gathering aerial images of cliffs at Palinuro Cape (Southern Italy). Four photo-interpreters analysed independently the derived orthomosaic and plotted data needed for the monitoring activity. Data showed to be not affected by photo-interpreters and reliable for the prescribed monitoring in the European Union (EU). Using the GIS analysis tools, we were able to: (a) recognise and map the plant species, (b) derive and measure the area of distribution on the cliff of habitat and species, and (c) count <i>Eokochia saxicola</i> individuals and gather quantitative data on their projected area. Quality of the images represented the main constraint, but incoming technological improvements of sensors and UAVs may overcome this problem. Overall results support the use of UAVs as an affordable and fast survey technique that can rapidly increase the number of studies on cliff habitats and improve ecological knowledge on their plant species and communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:33:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24a1b178368b433db4ff837e580f82e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:33:39Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-24a1b178368b433db4ff837e580f82e12023-11-19T21:12:27ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182020-04-0112414910.3390/d12040149Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable?Sandro Strumia0Maurizio Buonanno1Giovanna Aronne2Antonio Santo3Annalisa Santangelo4Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, ItalyInstitute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean, Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISAFoM), via Patacca, 85, 80056 Ercolano, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università, 100, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Foria, 223, 80139 Napoli, ItalyCliffs are reservoirs of biodiversity; therefore, many plant species and communities of inland and coastal cliffs are protected by Council Directive 92/43/EEC (European Economic Community), and their monitoring is mandatory in European Union countries. Surveying plants on coastal cliff by traditional methods is challenging and alternatives are needed. We tested the use of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an alternative survey tool, gathering aerial images of cliffs at Palinuro Cape (Southern Italy). Four photo-interpreters analysed independently the derived orthomosaic and plotted data needed for the monitoring activity. Data showed to be not affected by photo-interpreters and reliable for the prescribed monitoring in the European Union (EU). Using the GIS analysis tools, we were able to: (a) recognise and map the plant species, (b) derive and measure the area of distribution on the cliff of habitat and species, and (c) count <i>Eokochia saxicola</i> individuals and gather quantitative data on their projected area. Quality of the images represented the main constraint, but incoming technological improvements of sensors and UAVs may overcome this problem. Overall results support the use of UAVs as an affordable and fast survey technique that can rapidly increase the number of studies on cliff habitats and improve ecological knowledge on their plant species and communities.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/149<i>Primula palinuri</i><i>Dianthus rupicola</i>chasmophytesrocky habitatplant mappingcensus technique |
| spellingShingle | Sandro Strumia Maurizio Buonanno Giovanna Aronne Antonio Santo Annalisa Santangelo Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? Diversity <i>Primula palinuri</i> <i>Dianthus rupicola</i> chasmophytes rocky habitat plant mapping census technique |
| title | Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? |
| title_full | Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? |
| title_short | Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable? |
| title_sort | monitoring of plant species and communities on coastal cliffs is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles suitable |
| topic | <i>Primula palinuri</i> <i>Dianthus rupicola</i> chasmophytes rocky habitat plant mapping census technique |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/149 |
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