PROF.DR.G.HILDEBRANDT, PRESIDENT OF COMM.VII ISP: 
Ladies and Gentlemen, 
I am very happy to welcome such a large number of participants 
at the opening of our Symposium on Remote Sensing for Obser- 
vation and Inventory of Earth Resources and the Endangered En- 
vironment. I would also like to welcome you in the name of 
Professor Heller. 
Among us are 
the President of the ISP, Monsieur Cruset; 
the Secretary-General of the ISP, Dr.Doyle; 
as representative of the President of the IUFRO, Prof.Dr.Speidel; 
the Vice-President of the EARSeL, Prof.Dr.Bodechtel; 
the President of the German Society for Photogrammetry and 
Remote Sensing, Prof.Dr.Ackermann; 
the Congress Director of the ISP Congress 1980 and member of 
the ISP-Council, Prof.Dr.Konecny; 
and last not least 
the Superior Counsellor in the Ministry for Research and 
Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr.Regula, to 
whom we owe a lot of benefits in the field of space-research 
and remote sensing in our country. 
I would like to offer you my warmest regards and special thanks 
for your participation. 
I am also aware that we have several well-known seniors and old 
friends in our middle, who were present at the foundation of 
the ISP Commission VII in 1952 in Washington, and who took part 
in our first Congress 1956 in Stockholm or who were members of 
our first IUFRO team for the evaluation of Remote Sensing Data. 
But I am equally pleased to see many young colleagues who joined 
our Remote Sensing Group in recent years, as well as several 
noteworthy women of international renown, who gained international 
recognition in this field. 
All of you and your companions I would like to welcome very 
cordially. 
The echo we found with this Symposium indicates the increasing 
importance of Remote Sensing in many fields. We do feel indeed 
that Remote Sensing by aircraft, satellite or other platforms 
can make considerable contributions to the exploration of still 
unknown regions and the investigation of various phenomenons 
of the earth or in space 
- to the development of managerial, regional or global inventory 
systems which form the basis for a responsible utilization 
and long-term management of a limited supply of natural re- 
sources and for the protection and improvement of endangered 
eco-systems and human environments 
- to secure peace