Conservation and ecological screening of small water bodies in temperate riverine wetlands using UAV Photogrammetry (Middle Danube)

作者：Dušanka Cvijanović, Maja Novković, Djuradj Milošević, Milica Stojković Piperac, László Galambos, Dubravka Čerba, Olivera Stamenković, Bojan Damnjanović, Minučer Mesaroš, Dragoslav Pavić, Vladica Simić, Ivana Trbojević, Ana Anđelković, Nusret Drešković, Barbara Stammel, Bernd Cyffka, Snežana Radulović · 发表于：Nature Conservation · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3897/natureconservation.58.116663 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Fish Ecology and Management Studies、Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications、Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics

Aquatic ecosystems in riverine wetlands are important refuges and nurseries for freshwater biota. Given the significant global loss and degradation of wetlands, regular conservation assessments of these habitats, even in not easily accessible regions, are crucial for implementing effective management. Thus, developing cost-effective approaches for rapid ecological and conservation screening of water bodies in floodplains, such as the Danube, is a priority. One potential solution is the use of UAV-based (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) ecological indicators to complement existing monitoring frameworks. This paper aims to explore whether UAV-based macrophyte data can provide a more precise indication of the trophic state and conservation indices (assessed through fish and macroinvertebrate communities) of temperate wetland lentic ecosystems, compared to traditional field surveys. The fieldwork was conducted during the summer months of 2019 at 23 sampling sites within eight lentic water bodies located in three wetland areas along the Middle Danube in Serbia. Data on aquatic vegetation, fish, and macroinvertebrate communities, and samples for water quality analysis were collected simultaneously. UAV images were acquired using an RGB camera. Orthomosaics were processed using supervised object-based image (OBIA) classification to obtain a single vector layer with macrophyte functional groups and taxa. Macrophyte cover metrics obtained during the fieldwork and UAV data processing were corr...