Remote sensing-based classification of river and floodplain vegetation types and FFH habitat types along three Danube tributaries

Riverine and floodplain habitat types listed under the European Habitats Directive are among the most threatened ecosystems in Germany. Their poor conservation status and regulatory requirements create an urgent need for restoration and efficient monitoring. Conventional field surveys are often limited by cost, time, and accessibility. This study presents ‘Google4Habitat’, a remote sensing tool implemented in Google Earth Engine for large-scale supervised vegetation classification using satellite and aerial data. Applied to multiple Danube catchment sites, results demonstrate its strong potential for habitat mapping, change detection, and restoration planning, despite limitations in species-specific differentiation.