Abstract
In this paper, grid cell based spatial statistics were used to quantify the drivers of land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC) and habitat degradation in a tropical rainforest in Madagascar. First, a spectral database of various land-cover and land-use information was compiled using multi-year field campaign data and photointerpretation of satellite images. Next, residential areas were extracted from IKONOS-2 and GeoEye-1 images using object oriented feature extraction (OBIA). Then, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data were used to generate land-cover and land-use maps from 1990 to 2011, and LCLUC maps were developed with decadal intervals and converted to 100 m vector grid cells. Finally, the causal associations between LCLUC were quantified using ordinary least square regression analysis and Moran’s I, and a forest disturbance index derived from the time series Landsat data were used to further confirm LCLUC drivers. The results showed that (1) local spatial statistical approaches were most effective at quantifying the drivers of LCLUC, and (2) the combined threats of habitat degradation in and around the reserve and increasing encroachment of invasive plant species lead to the expansion of shrubland and mixed forest within the former primary forest, which was echoed by the forest disturbance index derived from the Landsat data.
Highlights
Madagascar is well known for the richness of its flora and fauna and is considered one of the top biodiversity hotspots worldwide [1,2]
This paper examined the drivers of land-cover/land-use dynamics in Réserve Naturelle Intègrale de Betampona (BNR) and surrounding areas from 1990 to 2011
Detailed land cover maps were developed using multi-source and multi-resolution images, and a grid cell based spatial statistical approach was used to quantify the drivers of land use changes
Summary
Madagascar is well known for the richness of its flora and fauna and is considered one of the top biodiversity hotspots worldwide [1,2]. In combination with its long isolation, Madagascar’s continent-like diverse landscapes and regionally varied climate has given rise to its extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity and endemism [3,4]. With about 80% of its biota found nowhere else on Earth [5,6], conserving the country’s biodiversity is a high national and international priority [4,7]. Land-cover and land use change (LCLUC) is the leading driver of biodiversity loss [7,8] and can significantly alter local, regional, and global climates [9,10]. Because tropical forests harbor the highest concentration of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and are critical to sustaining a range of essential ecosystem services, they are a focus of many conservation efforts [11]
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