"The primary goal of the B&R Initiative is to achieve major improvements in the infrastructures necessary to meet the needs of booming trade between Asia, Africa and Europe. Ports, highways, railways and distribution hubs will be built or expanded. Directly and indirectly, such development will have multiple and profound impacts on the immediate surroundings, as well as on the larger regions benefiting from the built infrastructure. Many B&R countries have stated very clearly the intention to harmonize and synchronize their agendas towards sustainable development, particularly in the context of infrastructure and economic growth that will be triggered by the initiative.Nevertheless, the combined pressures of climate variability, the intensified use of land and of marine resources combined with the fragility of many ecosystems in B&R countries will pose significant challenges in achieving the development goals. Many environmental impacts of development in B&R countries are inherently transnational, such as the exploitation of water resources, air pollution and the quality of both inland and coastal waters.Assessment and monitoring of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems require observations that must be precise, reliable and timely. Objects and processes need to be monitored across a range of spatial scales. Such needs can be met in principle by integrating networks of in-situ and space-borne data, provided such data are accessible and are available at the desired spectral, spatial and temporal scales."
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