Flourishing diversity along sacred paths: unveiling habitat conservation through remote sensing analysis in the Henro Pilgrimage, Shikoku, Japan

Rapid urbanisation, spurred by an expanding global population, poses a significant threat to biodiversity. This study focuses on the role ofsacred areas, specifically Buddhist temples within the urban areas along the Henro Pilgimage of Shikoku Island, Japan, as potentialrefuges and habitats for the preservation of urban biodiversity. Diverging from conventional protected areas, typically distanced from urbancentres, these temples are woven into the urban fabric. The study aims at discerning whether sacred spaces engender heightenedenvironmental heterogeneity relative to the adjacent urban matrix, positing that amplified landscape heterogeneity correlates withheightened biodiversity, facilitated by the presence of varied semi-natural habitats. Using landscape metrics and high-resolution land covermaps, the research analysed habitat fragmentation proximal to the temples and across the urban expanse. Additionally, Sentinel-2 satelliteimagery was used to compute spectral vegetation indices (NDVI, NDWI, SAVI), enabling the calculation of spectral heterogeneity indices(Rao's Q). Results indicated that, within a 100-meter buffer around sacred sites, heightened land use diversity can be observed, promotinga spectrum of connected semi-natural habitats with higher biodiversity. Amidst Shikoku Island's predominantly rural landscape, templesfunction as fundamental hotspots for biodiversity in urbanised regions, offering mitigation against urbanisation impacts on natural andsemi-natural ecosystems