In the face of the growing challenges brought about by human activities, effective planning and decision-making in biodiversity conservation, restoration, and sustainable use are urgently needed. Ecological models can play a key role in supporting this need and helping to safeguard the natural assets that underpin human wellbeing and support life on land and in water (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; SDG 14 & 15). The urgency and complexity of safeguarding forest (SDG 15.2) and mountain ecosystems (SDG 15.4), for example, and halting the decline in biodiversity (SDG 15.5) in the Anthropocene, require a re-envisioning of how ecological models can best support the comprehensive assessments of biodiversity and its change that are required for successful action.
A key opportunity to advance ecological modeling for both predictive and explanatory purposes arises through a collaboration between ecologists and the Earth observation community, encouraging a close integration of remote sensing methods and species distribution models. Remote sensing data products have the capacity to provide continuous spatio-temporal information about key factors driving the distribution of organisms, therefore improving both the use and accuracy of models for management and planning.
In this review we first survey the literature on remote sensing relevant for ecological modelers interested in improving predictions of species-range dynamics under global change. We specifically explore the key biophysical processes underlying the distribution of species in the Anthropocene including climate variability, land cover, land cover change, and disturbance. We then discuss potential synergies between efforts in the ecological modeling and remote sensing communities, and highlight data and conceptual gaps that currently impede a more effective monitoring and modeling of ecological systems. Specific attention is given to how potential collaborations between these two communities could lead to new opportunities to report progress towards global agendas such as the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations for Sustainable Development or the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention for Biological Diversity, and help guide conservation and management strategies towards sustainability.