Abstract:
The concept of sustainable resource management can be applied at multiple scales.
Monitoring is an essential component of sustainable natural resource management
schemes, and as we begin to confront the need to manage natural resources at the
global scale, the importance of monitoring at the global scale is also growing. The
combination of satellite remote sensing, in situ measurements, and simulation
modeling has the potential to deliver an annual assessment of status and trends for
several measures of terrestrial biosphere structure and function relevant to
sustainability. However, there is, as yet, no internationally coordinated effort in
place to perform that analysis. Synthesis activity of that kind would support the
development of global environmental governance institutions, including both nongovernmental
organizations and international bodies.
