Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Development of Wetlands: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Directions in Remote Sensing Research on Ramsar Wetlands

Ramsar wetlands, designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, serve as critical detectors of global change and significant contributors to global conservation and sustainable development. To systematically reveal the development context of Remote Sensing-based Ramsar wetland (RS-RW) research, identify the core hotspots and frontier trends, and evaluate its scientific support role for wetland conservation practice, this study systematically retrieved and analyzed the literature of related RS-RW research based on bibliometric methods and the Web of Science core collection as the database, and discussed the development process and trend of RS-RW research through bibliometric analysis. In this study, the RS-RW research development process was divided into three stages: potential exploration, framework formation, and vigorous growth period. The research objectives, method characteristics, and data source evolution of RS-RW research at different stages were analyzed in detail. Based on the visual representation of hot words in keyword contribution and cluster analysis, VOSviewer© was used to visually present the research hotspots, and the development trend of RS-RW research was summarized from three aspects: classification, indicator, and decision. Finally, focusing on China as a case study, the shortcomings of the current research on RS-RW and future research directions were discussed. The main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) The characteristics and driving forces of RS-RW were systematically clarified; (2) Through multi-dimensional hotspot analysis, the current research frontier with refined classification, multi-indicator collaborative monitoring, and service management decision-making as the core was clarified; (3) The key shortcomings and development paths of RS-RW research in China were proposed. The findings provide valuable insights into the historical development of RS-RW, highlight emerging research frontiers, and lay the foundation for strategic planning of RS-RW initiatives in China. Ultimately, this study contributes to supporting the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN 2030 Agenda).