Following an international workshop in 2015, 10 remote sensing Essential Biodiversity Variables were identified for consideration: species occurrence, plant traits (e.g., specific leaf area, leaf N content), ecosystem distribution, fragmentation and heterogeneity, land cover, vegetation height, fire occurrence, vegetation phenology, primary productivity and leaf area index, and inundation. These are currently being reviewed by GEOBON with the wider biodiversity community and EO requirements are being identiifed. These requirements will first be presented to CEOS, after which a CEOS response can be developed.
Developing the EBV remote sensing observation requirements is taking longer than was originally anticipated in 2014. GEO BON working groups have been working to develop such requirements, but this activity is not anticipated to be completed by the end of 2017. This activity has been replaced with BON-5.