Vulnerability assessment of oligo-mesotrophic habitats of Lake Svityaz to recreational load using satellite imagery

Lake Svityaz is the largest and deepest lake of natural origin in Ukraine. It forms a unique complex of aquatic habitats, considered of high value for conservation within the Shatsk National Nature Park as well as the entire West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. Meanwhile, due to its tourist attractiveness, the lake suffers from significant anthropogenic impact. Constantly increasing recreational load leads to decline in resistance and resilience of the lake ecosystem. The main purpose of our research was to detect and analyze transformations of vulnerable freshwater oligo-mesotrophic habitats of Lake Svityaz and examine effectiveness of using multi-temporal satellite images to esti…