Definitions and Mapping of East African Wetlands: A Review

Wetlands provide invaluable ecosystem services and contribute significantly to food security around the world. To maintain these functions, wetlands need to be protected from rapid transformation and overuse. Spatially-explicit information is required for sustainable wetland management. Development of wetland maps based on remote sensing requires a clear-cut definition of wetlands. This review was undertaken to improve the understanding of these habitats from a remote sensing perspective and to determine available wetland map layers for the East African countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This study includes three components: (1) a review of the availability and types of wetland definitions from the scientific literature record (including 245 separate references); (2) a systematic analysis of land use/land cover classifications and the conceptual approaches and spatial coverages of wetland classes for each system; and (3) a depiction of wetland layers and a discussion of their suitability for use in regional inventories. Our literature review shows that a standard definition of wetlands is not in use, and a specific definition of wetlands is not given in more than 40% of the reviewed remote sensing publications. Spatial information on East African wetlands is currently insufficient for use in regional wetland management.

• Publication year

  2015

• Venue

  Remote Sensing

• Publication date

  2015-04-27

• Fields of study

  Geography, Computer Science, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/rs70505256
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• European Space Agency

  2017cited by this paper
• Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States

  2017cited by this paper
• Development of a global inundation map at high spatial resolution from topographic downscaling of coarse-scale remote sensing data

  2015cited by this paper
• Remote sensing of inland waters: Challenges, progress and future directions

  2015cited by this paper
• Seasonal Vegetation Changes in the Malinda Wetland Using Bi-Temporal, Multi-Sensor, Very High Resolution Remote Sensing Data Sets

  2014cited by this paper
• Characterization of the spatial and temporal variability of surface water in the Soudan‐Sahel region of Africa

  2013cited by this paper
• Mapping small wetlands of Kenya and Tanzania using remote sensing techniques

  2013cited by this paper
• Contribution of wetland resources to household food security in Uganda

  2013cited by this paper
• Detection of Small Wetlands with Multi Sensor Data in East Africa

  2012cited by this paper
• Evaluation of flooded areas with satellite imagery using an objective hydrologic criterion

  2012cited by this paper
• Long term data fusion for a dense time series analysis with MODIS and Landsat imagery in an Australian Savanna

  2012cited by this paper
• Development and validation of a global dynamical wetlands extent scheme

  2012cited by this paper
• Monitoring the dynamics of wetland inundation by random sets on multi-temporal images

  2011cited by this paper
• Classification, Characterisation, and Use of Small Wetlands in East Africa

  2011cited by this paper
• Wetland mapping in the Congo Basin using optical and radar remotely sensed data and derived topographical indices

  2010cited by this paper
• International Union for Conservation of Nature

  2010cited by this paper
• Scheffer/Schachtschabel Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde

  2010cited by this paper
• A landscape approach for wetland change detection (1979-2009) in the Pearl River Estuary

  2010cited by this paper
• Remote Sensing of the Distribution and Extent of Wetlands in the Amazon Basin

  2010cited by this paper
• Emerging global role of small lakes and ponds: little things mean a lot

  2010cited by this paper
• Building spectral libraries for wetlands land cover classification and hyperspectral remote sensing.

  2009cited by this paper
• The role of Earth Observation (EO) technologies in supporting implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

  2009influential reference
• Time Series Analysis of Optical Remote Sensing Data for the Mapping of Temporary Surface Water Bodies in Sub-Saharan Western Africa

  2009cited by this paper
• The Wetlands Handbook

  2009cited by this paper
• Mapping a better future: how spatial analysis can benefit wetlands and reduce poverty in Uganda

  2009cited by this paper
• Detection of Surface Water with Spot/Vegetation. Monitoring and Assessing CILSS Countries Surface Water Availability

  2009cited by this paper
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

  2008cited by this paper
• Using MODIS data to characterize seasonal inundation patterns in the Florida Everglades

  2008cited by this paper
• Hydrological impact assessment of wetlands

  2007cited by this paper
• Ecoregion classification in the Okavango Delta, Botswana from multitemporal remote sensing

  2005cited by this paper
• Global land cover classi(cid:142) cation at 1 km spatial resolution using a classi(cid:142) cation tree approach

  2004cited by this paper
• Broad-scale mapping of temporary wetlands in arid Australia

  2004cited by this paper
• A new land‐cover map of Africa for the year 2000

  2004cited by this paper
• Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands

  2004influential reference
• The hydrology and hydrogeology of dambos: a review

  2004cited by this paper
• Measuring surface water from space

  2004cited by this paper
• A Land Cover Map of Africa. Carte de l'Occupation du Sol de l'Afrique.

  2003influential reference
• Relating wetland inundation to river flow using Landsat TM data

  2003cited by this paper
• Dual-season mapping of wetland inundation and vegetation for the central Amazon basin

  2003cited by this paper
• Satellite remote sensing of wetlands

  2002cited by this paper
• Global land cover mapping from MODIS: algorithms and early results

  2002cited by this paper
• Wetlands at the Last Glacial Maximum: Distribution and methane emissions

  2002cited by this paper
• Interannual lake level fluctuations (1993–1999) in Africa from Topex/Poseidon: connections with ocean–atmosphere interactions over the Indian Ocean

  2002cited by this paper
• WETLAND MONITORING IN UGANDA

  2002cited by this paper
• Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth

  2001cited by this paper
• Challenges of conservation of dryland shallow waters, Ewaso Narok swamp, Laikipia District, Kenya

  2001cited by this paper
• Development of a global land cover characteristics database and IGBP DISCover from 1 km AVHRR data

  2000cited by this paper
• Irrigated Agriculture and Wildlife Conservation: Conflict on a Global Scale

  2000cited by this paper
• An analysis of the IGBP global land-cover characterization process

  1999cited by this paper
• Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS to Wetland Inventory: upland bogs

  1998cited by this paper
• Global land cover classifications at 8 km spatial resolution: The use of training data derived from Landsat imagery in decision tree classifiers

  1998cited by this paper
• Integrating remote sensing observations of flood hydrology and hydraulic modelling

  1997cited by this paper
• The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital

  1997cited by this paper
• Identification and mapping of the Amazon habitats using a mixing model

  1997cited by this paper
• Wetlands In Danger : a World Conservation Atlas

  1996influential reference
• A Revised Land Surface Parameterization (SiB2) for Atmospheric GCMS. Part I: Model Formulation

  1996cited by this paper
• A Revised Land Surface Parameterization (SiB2) for Atmospheric GCMS. Part II: The Generation of Global Fields of Terrestrial Biophysical Parameters from Satellite Data

  1996cited by this paper
• Global discrimination of land cover types from metrics derived from AVHRR pathfinder data

  1995cited by this paper
• A geomorphic approach to global classification for inland wetlands

  1995influential reference
• Wetland and Environmental Applications of GIS

  1995cited by this paper
• A review of wetland inventory and classification in Australia

  1995cited by this paper
• Global wetlands: old world and new

  1994cited by this paper
• NDVI-derived land cover classifications at a global scale

  1994cited by this paper
• Map of the vegetation of South America based on satellite imagery

  1994cited by this paper
• Spectral Reflectance Properties of Wetlands Plants

  1994cited by this paper
• A vegetation classification logic-based on remote-sensing for use in global biogeochemical models

  1994cited by this paper
• Development of a land-cover characteristics database for the conterminous U.S.

  1991cited by this paper
• Methane emission from rice cultivation: Geographic and seasonal distribution of cultivated areas and emissions

  1991cited by this paper
• Global distribution of natural freshwater wetlands and rice paddies, their net primary productivity, seasonality and possible methane emissions

  1989cited by this paper
• Characterization and classification of South American land cover types using satellite data

  1987cited by this paper
• Methane emission from natural wetlands: Global distribution, area, and environmental characteristics of sources

  1987cited by this paper
• A Simple Biosphere Model (SIB) for Use within General Circulation Models

  1986cited by this paper
• African Land-Cover Classification Using Satellite Data

  1985cited by this paper
• Global Vegetation and Land Use: New High-Resolution Data Bases for Climate Studies

  1983cited by this paper
• A land use and land cover classification system for use with remote sensor data

  1976cited by this paper

• Multisensor Visual Image Design Based on Machine Learning to Evaluate Urban Land Transformation and Ecological Environment Variation

  2026cites this paper
• Wetland Scene Segmentation of Remote Sensing Images Based on Lie Group Feature and Graph Cut Model

  2025cites this paper
• AI-based approaches for wetland mapping and classification: A review of current practices and future perspectives

  2025cites this paper
• Wetlands in Saudi Arabia: Review and Assessment of the Environmental Hazards in Al-Asfar Lake

  2025cites this paper
• Assessing land use changes and agricultural practices in highland valley-bottom wetlands in Taita Hills, Kenya.

  2025cites this paper
• A comprehensive review of remote sensing in wetland classification and mapping

  2025cites this paper
• Wetland inventory, key drivers of change and their socioeconomic and environmental implications in Ethiopia

  2025cites this paper
• Effects of land-use change on the provisioning ecosystem service of wetlands: the case of a social-ecological systems perspective of Boyo Wetland in Ethiopia

  2024cites this paper
• Predicting mire distribution using species distribution models: a case study of the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands

  2024cites this paper
• SAR image integration for multi-temporal analysis of Lake Manchar Wetland dynamics using machine learning

  2024cites this paper
• Assessing the extent to which African wetland inventories can report to the global targets on biodiversity, including Goal A of the Global Biodiversity Framework

  2024cites this paper
• How Rural Communities Relate to Nature in Sub-Saharan Regions: Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Wetlands in South-Kivu

  2024cites this paper
• Using resampled nSight-2 hyperspectral data and various machine learning classifiers for discriminating wetland plant species in a Ramsar Wetland site, South Africa

  2024cites this paper
• THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IN WETLAND CONSERVATION IN URBAN AREAS: A CASE OF MONAVALE VLEI, HARARE

  2023cites this paper
• Inspiring citizen science innovation for sustainable development goal 6 in water quality monitoring in China

  2023cites this paper
• Mapping small inland wetlands in the South-Kivu province by integrating optical and SAR data with statistical models for accurate distribution assessment

  2023cites this paper
• Dynamics of land use land cover change in an East African inland valley wetland

  2023cites this paper
• Long-term changes in hydrology of warm Mediterranean wetlands under land use land cover change

  2023cites this paper
• Automatization and evaluation of a remote sensing-based indicator for wetland health assessment in East Africa on national and local scales

  2023cites this paper
• Leveraging machine learning and remote sensing to monitor long-term spatial-temporal wetland changes: Towards a national RAMSAR inventory in Pakistan

  2023cites this paper
• Spatial and Temporal Changes in Wetland in Dongting Lake Basin of China under Long Time Series from 1990 to 2020

  2022cites this paper
• Impacts of wetland loss and fragmentation on the hydrology of Zimbabwe's highveld

  2022cites this paper
• Areal extent of vegetative cover: A challenge to regional upscaling of methane emissions

  2022cites this paper
• Wetland mapping based on feature optimization and Google Earth Engine in Zhalong Nature Reserve

  2022cites this paper
• Characterizing ecosystem change in wetlands using dense earth observation time series

  2022cites this paper
• Assessing the Effects of Land Use/Land Cover Change on Groundwater Recharge in a Sudano-Sahelian Zone: Case of Koda Catchment, Mali, West Africa

  2022cites this paper
• Improving the characterization of global aquatic land cover types using multi-source earth observation data

  2022cites this paper
• Deteksi Ekspansi Padi pada Lanskap Hutan di Taman Nasional Ujung Kulon, Indonesia Menggunakan Algoritma RF dan Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrumen

  2022cites this paper
• Vegetated wetlands: from ecology to conservation management

  2022cites this paper
• Use of remotely sensed derived metrics to assess wetland vegetation responses to climate variability-induced drought at the Soetendalsvlei wetland system in the Heuningnes Catchment, Western Cape province, South Africa

  2021cites this paper
• Use of remotely sensed derived metrics to assess wetland vegetation responses to climate variability induced drought at the Soetendalsvlei wetland system in the Western Cape province of South Africa

  2021cites this paper
• Assessing a Prototype Database for Comprehensive Global Aquatic Land Cover Mapping

  2021cites this paper
• Remote sensing drought impacts on wetland vegetation productivity at the Soetendalsvlei in the Heuningnes Catchment, South Africa

  2021cites this paper
• Factors driving utilization patterns of marshlands in the vicinity of South-Kivu urban agglomerations based on Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES)

  2021cites this paper
• A New Conceptual Framework for Integrating Earth Observation in Large-scale Wetland Management in East Africa

  2021cites this paper
• Meta-Analysis of Wetland Classification Using Remote Sensing: A Systematic Review of a 40-Year Trend in North America

  2020influential citation
• Towards a comprehensive and consistent global aquatic land cover characterization framework addressing multiple user needs

  2020cites this paper
• Mapping wetland characteristics using temporally dense Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data: A case study in the St. Lucia wetlands, South Africa

  2020cites this paper
• Multispectral Remote Sensing of Wetlands in Semi-Arid and Arid Areas: A Review on Applications, Challenges and Possible Future Research Directions

  2020cites this paper
• The maturation of ecosystem services: Social and policy research expands, but whither biophysically informed valuation?

  2020cites this paper
• Wetland extent tools for SDG 6.6.1 reporting from the Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS)

  2020cites this paper
• Spatial Analysis of Flood Hazard for the Risk Reduction in Rwanda

  2020cites this paper
• Degradation of Kilombero Valley Ramsar wetlands in Tanzania

  2019cites this paper
• Evaluation on Spaceborne Multispectral Images, Airborne Hyperspectral, and LiDAR Data for Extracting Spatial Distribution and Estimating Aboveground Biomass of Wetland Vegetation Suaeda salsa

  2019cites this paper
• Modelling the impact of land use management on water resources in a tropical inland valley catchment of central Uganda, East Africa.

  2019cites this paper
• Pesticide Application, Their Residue Levels in the Environment, Kales and Tomatoes in Ewaso Narok Wetland, Laikipia County, Kenya

  2019cites this paper
• Monitoring and Assessment of Wetland Loss and Fragmentation in the Cross-Boundary Protected Area: A Case Study of Wusuli River Basin

  2019cites this paper
• Impact of the Accuracy of Land Cover Data sets on the Accuracy of Land Cover Change Scenarios in the Mono River Basin, Togo, West Africa

  2019cites this paper
• Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in the Kilombero Catchment in Tanzania

  2019cites this paper
• A Model for Estimating the Vegetation Cover in the High-Altitude Wetlands of the Andes (HAWA)

  2019cites this paper
• A review of remote sensing applications in tropical forestry with a particular emphasis in the plantation sector

  2018cites this paper
• Land surface temperature trends as indicator of land use changes in wetlands

  2018cites this paper
• Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Coastal Wetlands and Reclamation in the Yangtze Estuary During Past 50 Years (1960s-2015)

  2018cites this paper
• Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Coastal Wetlands and Reclamation in the Yangtze Estuary During Past 50 Years (1960s–2015)

  2018cites this paper
• Sustainability in the Food-Water-Ecosystem Nexus: The Role of Land Use and Land Cover Change for Water Resources and Ecosystems in the Kilombero Wetland, Tanzania

  2017cites this paper
• Mapping and Monitoring the Akagera Wetland in Rwanda

  2017cites this paper
• Contracting infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan African wetlands: A question of use? A review.

  2017cites this paper
• Using Landsat images to quantify different human threats to the Shuangtai Estuary Ramsar site, China

  2017cites this paper
• A method for alpine wetland delineation and features of border: Zoigê Plateau, China

  2017cites this paper
• In Memoriam: Gunter Menz

  2017cites this paper
• A Review of Wetland Remote Sensing

  2017cites this paper
• Invasion of Wetlands in Kumasi by Informal Economic Activities and Consequences for Urban Management

  2016cites this paper
• Fractional vegetation cover of East African wetlands observed on ground and from space

  2016cites this paper
• A rapid assessment of anthropogenic disturbances in East African wetlands

  2016cites this paper
• East African wetland-catchment data base for sustainable wetland management

  2016cites this paper
• The Challenges of Remote Monitoring of Wetlands

  2015cites this paper