Abstract
Abstract. The decline of the woodland caribou population is a result of their habitat loss. To conserve the habitat of the woodland caribou and protect it from extinction, it is critical to accurately characterize and monitor its habitat. Conventionally, products derived from low to medium spatial resolution remote sensing data, such as land cover classification and vegetation indices are used for wildlife habitat assessment. These products fail to provide information on the structure complexities of forest canopies which reflect important characteristics of caribou’s habitats. Recent studies have employed the LiDAR system (Light Detection And Ranging) to directly retrieve the three dimensional forest attributes. Although promising results have been achieved, the acquisition cost of LiDAR data is very high. In this study, utilizing the very high spatial resolution imagery in characterizing the structural development the of forest canopies was exploited. A stand based image texture analysis was performed to predict forest succession stages. The results were demonstrated to be consistent with those derived from LiDAR data.
Highlights
Woodland caribou (Ranifer Tarandus Caribou) is an important wildlife species ecologically and culturally in Canada
Remote sensing techniques played a key role in wildlife habitats mapping, when large spatial information becomes more favourable for broader area analysis while conventional field work is time and labour intensity. (Kerr and Dostoevsky, 2003)
In addition to land cover/use maps, other remote sensing products, such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) images calculated from satellite data with medium to low spatial resolution have been used in other wildlife habitat mapping
Summary
Woodland caribou (Ranifer Tarandus Caribou) is an important wildlife species ecologically and culturally in Canada. In addition to land cover/use maps, other remote sensing products, such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) images calculated from satellite data with medium to low spatial resolution have been used in other wildlife habitat mapping. The map was not usually up to date, and classes from products usually generated for other or generic applications are not best suited for woodland caribou habitat mapping. These products are not sufficient in characterizing caribou or other wildlife habitat at local (fine spatial resolution) scales and in characterizing sub-canopy vegetation structure relevant to wildlife (Brown, 2006)
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