Wombats detected from space

Abstract

The hairy-nosed wombat ( Lasiorhinus latifrons) is a large marsupial that occurs in great numbers on the Nullarbor Plain, South Australia. Because of the animal's burrowing and mound building, which creates areas of bare ground and freshly dug soil, its approximate distribution can be mapped from digitally enhanced color LANDSAT imagery and even to some degree from good quality band-7 black and white imagery. The wombats also seem to destroy large areas of shrubland and they appear to have increased greatly in recent years. Monitoring of their spread by satellite imagery could provide a valuable and effective management tool.