CHALK GRASSLAND MAPPING IN SURREY COUNTY USING REMOTE SENSING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA: A RANDOM FOREST APPROACH

Speaker: Ana Andries, University of Surrey, United KingdomChalk grasslands are vital semi-natural habitats rich in biodiversity and carbon sequestration, often referred to as the “rainforest of Europe.” However, these habitats in Surrey, UK, face increasing threats from urbanization and climate change, necessitating robust mapping and monitoring for conservation. The Space4Nature (S4N) project, a collaboration between the University of Surrey and Surrey Wildlife Trust, integrated citizen science, high-resolution satellite data, environmental geospatial layers, and machine learning (Random Forest) to produce a detailed 3m-resolution chalk grassland habitat map.