Advanced Detection of Invasive Neophytes in Agricultural Landscapes: A Multisensory and Multiscale Remote Sensing Approach

Abstract

The sustainable provision of ecological products and services, both natural and man-made, faces a substantial threat emanating from invasive plant species (IPS), which inflict considerable economic and ecological harm on a global scale. They are widely recognized as one of the primary drivers of global biodiversity decline and have become the focal point of an increasing number of studies. The integration of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) plays a pivotal role in their detection and classification across a diverse range of research endeavors, emphasizing the critical significance of accounting for the phenological stages of the targeted species when endeavoring to accurately delineate their distribution and occurrences. This study is centered on this fundamental premise, as it endeavors to amass terrestrial data encompassing the phenological stages and spectral attributes of the specified IPS, with the overarching objective of ascertaining the most opportune time frames for their detection. Moreover, it involves the development and validation of a detection and classification algorithm, harnessing a diverse array of RS datasets, including satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery spanning the spectrum from RGB to multispectral and near-infrared (NIR). Taken together, our investigation underscores the advantages of employing an array of RS datasets in conjunction with the phenological stages, offering an economically efficient and adaptable solution for the detection and monitoring of invasive plant species. Such insights hold the potential to inform both present and future policymaking pertaining to the management of invasive species in agricultural and natural ecosystems.