Forest management and sustainable urban development in the Curonian Spit

Forest cover on the Curonian Spit, Lithuania, has shown significant recovery since 2009, increasing by over 1% annually. This finding contrasts with a decline observed before 2009 and highlights the potential for sustainable forest management in dynamic coastal environments. The study used remote sensing images from 1989 to 2017, combined with ground data, to track changes in land cover categories such as vegetation, sand, forest, urban, and grassland. No urban growth was detected during this period. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of remote sensing and GIS techniques for monitoring land use changes, reducing the need for costly fieldwork while providing valuable insights for planners.

Galiniene, J., Dailidiene, I., & Bishop, S. R. (2019). Forest management and sustainable urban development in the Curonian Spit. European Journal of Remote Sensing, 52(sup2), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/22797254.2019.1580538