A new platform to support research at the interface of remote sensing, ecology and conservation

Assessing and predicting responses of biological diversity to global environmental change and the effects of such responses on human well-being are high-priority targets for the scientific, management and policy communities (Pereira et al. 2013; Dirzo et al. 2014). These assessments and predictions are essential inputs to inform interna- tional initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Intergovernmental Science Policy Plat- form on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Collen et al. 2013), being fundamental to defining and optimiz- ing adaptation and mitigation strategies. To rise to the challenges posed by global environmental change, in par- ticular, the research, management and policy communi- ties need access to standardised information on changes in the distribution of biodiversity and in the intensity of human activities; these communities also need to know whether management actions are effective (Sutherland et al. 2004; Brooks et al. 2014; Pettorelli et al. 2014a)