Author(s): Silvia Huber; Lisbeth Tangaa Nielsen; Malinda Auluck; Muhammad Adzmin Bin Abdul Fatta; Lin Ji Liaw; Mikkel Bojesen; Lars Boye Hansen

Linked Author(s):

Keywords: Copernicus Sentinel-2; Local knowledge; Marine protection; Seagrass; Biodiversity

Abstract: With increasing climate pressures and human impacts, the coverage and health of coastal ecosystems have declined globally. These ecosystems play an essential role for food provision and biodiversity, and they act as Nature-based Solutions for erosion control and natural disaster resilience. Due to the essential role of these ecosystem functions and to ensure sustainable management, accurate and timely information on their distribution and condition is essential. However, such data is often lacking, and large-scale monitoring is challenging due to a missing link to local expertise. To address this gap, we developed a Human-In-the-Loop cloud-based platform enabling local experts to utilize their in-depth knowledge of their local marine coastal habitats in combination with open access satellite imagery and pre-trained deep learning algorithms to create up-to-date classifications of Mangroves, Corals and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in just a few minutes. We call this platform MCSAV. The MCSAV platform has been implemented for the Semporna reef complex in Malaysia, which is known for its rich marine life, to support the management and conservation of this critical aquatic biotope in response to development pressures, particularly tourism. However, the approach is scalable to any shallow coastal environment. The extensive data collection to develop MCSAV’s mapping algorithm was supported by local NGO’s and youth communities.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/978-90-835589-7-4_41WC-P1700-cd

Year: 2025