{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,24]],"date-time":"2026-03-24T12:12:42Z","timestamp":1774354362028,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":118,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,4,27]],"date-time":"2015-04-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1430092800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs70505256","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,4,27]],"date-time":"2015-04-27T12:16:51Z","timestamp":1430137011000},"page":"5256-5282","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":54,"title":["Definitions and Mapping of East African Wetlands: A Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Esther","family":"Amler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Remote Sensing Research Group (RSRG), University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, 53115 Bonn, Germany"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Schmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Remote Sensing Centre, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, Ecoscience Precinct, Level 2B West, 41 Boggo Road Dutton Park, GPO BOX 5078, Brisbane,  QLD 4102, Australia"}]},{"given":"Gunter","family":"Menz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Remote Sensing Research Group (RSRG), University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 166, 53115 Bonn, Germany"},{"name":"Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces (ZFL), University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Str. 3,  53113 Bonn, Germany"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,4,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2005). 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