A State-of-the-Art Vegetation Map for Jordan: A New Tool for Conservation in a Biodiverse Country

Hatem Taifour,Kyle G Dexter,Sophie Neale,Anthony Miller,Jawad Al-Bakri

doi:10.3390/conservation2010012

Hatem Taifour, Kyle G Dexter + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation2010012

Copy DOI

Abstract

In many countries, including Jordan, the updating of vegetation maps is required to aid in formulating development and management plans for agriculture, forest, and rangeland sectors. Remote sensing data contributes widely to vegetation mapping at different scales by providing multispectral information that can separate and identify different vegetation groups at reasonable accuracy and low cost. Here, we implemented state-of-the-art approaches to develop a vegetation map for Jordan, as an example of how such maps can be produced in regions of high vegetation complexity. Specifically, we used a reciprocal illumination technique that combines extensive ground data (640 vegetation inventory plots) and Sentinel-2 satellite images to produce a categorical vegetation map (scale 1:50,000). Supervised classification was used to translate the spectral characteristics into vegetation types, which were first delimited by the clustering analyses of species composition data from the plots. From the satellite image interpretation, two maps were created: an unsupervised land cover/land use map and a supervised map of present-day vegetation types, both consisting of 18 categories. These new maps should inform ecosystem management and conservation planning decisions in Jordan over the coming years.

Highlights

If natural resources are to be managed sustainably, it is crucial to assess land cover/land use and the spatial distribution of vegetation types
The study of sufficient samples was confirmed within the known vegetation types in satellite images, and a minimum of sample areas were collected for each hypothesised class of the produced land cover/land use map
The first map is an unsupervised land cover/land use map including 18 distinct classes, and the second is a supervised present-day vegetation map, including 18 classes of vegetation, which partially overlap with the 18 landcover classes

Summary

Introduction

If natural resources are to be managed sustainably, it is crucial to assess land cover/land use and the spatial distribution of vegetation types. This is helpful for protecting habitats and for providing data for vegetation cover modelling. Jordan is a region of high vegetation complexity and provides an ideal testing ground for methods in land cover and vegetation type mapping. Since Alexander von Humboldt first began categorising vegetation zones in 1807, biogeographers have classified the planet into chorological units. It was typical to focus on individual plants; Humboldt shifted this towards a more collective focus on species—their distribution, growth forms, and how they relate to their surroundings [1]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion