Unravelling decades of habitat dynamics in protected areas: A hierarchical approach applied to the Gran Paradiso National Park (NW Italy).

ABSTRACT: Habitat loss is the main threat to biodiversity at a global level, making habitat mapping an essential tool for the management of protected areas and for the conservation and monitoring, in line with Directive 92/43/EEC. Traditional mapping methods are resource-intensive, while remote sensing approaches depend on the availability of ground truth datasets. In this context, this study presents a novel framework for time series habitat classification. The approach leverages a single pre-existing habitat cartography and a limited set of ancillary data to derive a retrospective training dataset. The method was applied to analyse 39 years (1985-2023) of habitat and land cover changes in Gran Paradiso National Park (NW Italy). Annual seasonal composite images were generated for the growing and se

SUBMITTER: Richiardi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12535940 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature