Abstract

National parks, national forests, national seashores, natural reserves, wildlife refuges and sanctuaries, conservation areas, frontier lands, and marine protected areas are examples of protected lands and waters that serve as the fundamental building blocks of virtually all national and international conservation strategies. Protected areas are increasingly recognized as essential providers of ecosystem services and biological resources. Traditionally, management of protected areas is operated with field-oriented observation and mapping approaches. Repaid development of remote sensing science and technologies has profoundly influenced and contributed to the practice in understanding and management of protected areas from extended spatial, spectral, temporal, and thematic perspectives for which remote sensing has unique advantages. This entry provides a snapshot about remote sensing applications for inventory, monitoring, and management of protected areas.