Mapping and Monitoring of Blue Ecosystems at Scale with Copernicus Sentinel-2 Imagery - a Tropical System Application

With increasing climate pressures and human impacts, the coverage and health of coastal ecosystems have declined globally. To ensure sustainable management, accurate and up-to-date information on their distribution and condition is essential. However, such data is often lacking, and large-scale monitoring is challenging due to a missing link to local expertise. To address this gap, we combined free Copernicus satellite imagery, deep learning and a Human-in-the-loop approach in a cloud-based interactive platform that enables local experts to create up-to-date classifications of mangroves, corals and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (MCSAV) in just a few minutes. The MCSAV platform has been implemented for the Semporna reef complex in Malaysia, which is known for its rich marine life, to support the management and conservation of this critical aquatic biotope in response to development pressures, particularly tourism.