Remote sensing in ecology and conservation: three years on

Abstract

In 2014, Wiley and the Zoological Society of London launched Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, an open-access journal that aims to support communication and collaboration among experts in remote sensing, ecology and conservation science. Remote sensing was from the start understood as the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon through a device that is not in physical contact with the object, thus including camera traps, field spectrometry, terrestrial and aquatic acoustic sensors, aerial and satellite monitoring as well as ship-borne automatic identification systems. The primary goals of this new journal were, and still are, to maximize the understanding and uptake of remote sensing-based techniques and products by the ecological and conservation communities, prioritizing findings that advance the scientific basis of, and applied outcomes from, ecology and conservation science; and to identify ecological challenges that might direct development of future remote sensors and data products. In October 2015, the first issue of the journal was published, with four other issues produced in 2016 and four to be published in 2017. As Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation is about to complete its second full year of publication and is working towards a first impact factor score in early 2019, the time has come to reflect on how the journal has done to date, what impact it has had, which niches it has successfully filled and where the journal is yet to meet its full potential. By sharing our successes and experiences so far with our contributors and readers, we hope to demonstrate how Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation has swiftly gained significant visibility and status among scientists and practitioners interested in natural resource management.