Conservation of Saline Wetland Ecosystems: An Initiative Towards Un Decade of Ecological Restoration

This authored book is a comprehensive collection of information on saline wetland ecosystems, focusing on the application of advanced technologies like LiDAR, UAVs, and artificial intelligence for the conservation of these critical ecosystems.

Saline lakes, known for their extreme conditions, play a vital role in global water systems. This book investigates how advanced tools such as airborne and spaceborne multispectral/hyperspectral sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs), and spectroradiometers, combined with AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), can be harnessed for effective restoration and conservation efforts. The book is enriched with detailed infographics, flowcharts, graphs, and tables, making complex information accessible and engaging. A dedicated section of case studies provides practical examples that highlight the real-world impact of the discussed technologies.

This book will be of interest to academicians, scientists, ecologists, hydrologists, limnologists, earth data scientists, ecosystem conservationists, environmental planners, engineers, policymakers, geologists, data analysts, climate scientists, and remote sensing and GIS specialists. It also serves as valuable reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of ecology, wetlands, and earth and environmental sciences

Professor (Dr.) Laxmi Kant Sharma serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Environmental Science, as well as the Proctor of the Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, India. He obtained both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Botany, focusing on ecology and environment, from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India. Additionally, he holds a PG Diploma and an M. Tech. in Remote Sensing & GIS from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (ISRO), Dehradun, India. Prof. Sharma has previously served at the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT-Mesra), Ranchi, and the Central University of Jharkhand. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed international journal articles and 25 national articles, authored three books, and edited one. He is also an editorial board member of various international journals.

Since 2021, Prof. Sharma has been contributing significantly to the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) of IUCN. His work focuses on environmental systems, land-use changes, climate impacts, and human-environment interactions. He has extensively worked with multi-sensor advanced remote sensing data, including optical, thermal, microwave, hyperspectral, and LiDAR (GEDI). His research has received support from the Space Application Centre (ISRO) under the RISAT, NISAR, and AVIRIS-NG programs, along with support from NRSC (ISRO) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (GoI). His work has been cited by esteemed institutions such as the University of British Columbia, Canada, for the 3-PG model, and has been recognized by scientific institutions and media, particularly for his studies on the Thar Desert, Aravalli hills, and Sambhar Lake.

Dr. Rajashree Naik serves as an Assistant Professor at Vellore Institute of Technology Andhra Pradesh (VIT-AP) University, India. Prior to this, she worked at the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre. Dr. Naik earned her Ph.D. from the Central University of Rajasthan, where she focused on the Integration of Multispectral and Hyperspectral Data with Climatic Variabilities for Assessment of the Sambhar Lake Ecosystem (A Ramsar Site) of Rajasthan, India. She holds a PG Diploma in Remote Sensing from the prestigious Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and an M.Sc. from the Central University of Rajasthan, where her journey in environmental science began.

Dr. Naik has received numerous awards and grants, including the International Travel Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists, the Training and Travel Grant from the British Ecological Society, the Student Research Grant from the Ecological Society of America, the Wetzel Award from the International Society of Limnology, the Central Universities Common Entrance Test-India Scholarship, and the Summer Research Fellowship by the Indian Academy of Sciences. She serves as the Indian Ambassador for the International Society of Limnology, Germany, and is part of the Student Section of the Society of Wetland Scientists and the Executive Team of Young Ecosystem Services Specialists. Dr. Naik has authored one book and has numerous published works in esteemed journals.