Coastal defence and nature conservation authorities need detailed vegetation maps of the Belgian coast for policy planning and evaluation. For several decades, vegetation and topographical maps of the mobile dunes, mud flats and salt marshes have been produced for the Belgian coast by means of visual interpretation of aerial photographs. This tech-nique however, does not provide enough detail about the vegetation classes in compari-son to the effort needed, and the technique is not as precise as it should be. By using sensors with a higher information content (hyperspectral sensors or digital cameraís) a better ratio between cost and effectiveness can be achieved.