Percentage Of Vegetation Cover Research Articles

Assessing gully erosion susceptibility dynamics using information value and hazard index methods: A case study of Agulu-Nanka watershed, Southeast Nigeria

Gully erosion is one of the major causes of land degradation leading to the loss of productive lands globally. The Benue Trough in Nigeria is plagued with the problem of gully erosion, with a myriad of natural and anthropogenic factors considered as contributory factors. In this study, quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to evaluate gully susceptibility in the Agulu-Nanka watershed located in the lower part of Benue Trough between 2000 and 2018. Landsat 7 and 8 images, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), geological, soil, and rainfall erosivity maps were used to generate the gully erosion controlling factors including vegetation cover, lithology, soil, land use/cover, slope, curvature, aspect and rainfall erosivity. Additionally, high resolution image was used to develop gully inventory map. The information value method was used evaluate the influence of various classes of gully erosion controlling factors on gully distribution in the watershed. This enabled objective derivation of weights for the various classes of these factors. Information value analysis reveal that low percentage vegetation cover (<10 %), Ameki Group lithological unit, high slope gradient (17 − 43°) and Dystric Fluvisols soil type have the highest influence on gully erosion in the watershed. Since the information value method does not consider interrelationship between factors, the rank sum technique was used to derive factor weights based on the relationship between the factors. To develop the gully susceptibility map for the Agulu-Nanka watershed for the years 2000 and 2018, the erosion controlling factors were integrated using factor class weights derived through information value and factor weights derived through rank sum method. The analysis of gully erosion hazard maps show that approximately 48 % of the watershed was under low erosion risk over the period of 18 years. Areas under moderate, high and severe erosion risk decreased from 27.45 %, 9.45 % and 0.27 % of the watershed in year 2000, to 21.30 %, 8.41 %, and 0.20 % of the watershed respectively in 2018. On the other hand, the areas under negligible erosion risk increased from 14.69 % in year 2000, to 21.26 % of the watershed in 2018. The validation of the gully erosion susceptibility map for years 2000 and 2018 using the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) showed ROC-AUC values of 0.81 % and 0.88 % respectively suggesting good model results. While the result of study indicates that restoration efforts through afforestation is yielding some result, the minimal reduction in the size of areas under severe and high gully erosion susceptibilities indicate that additional mitigation measures need to be combined with intensified afforestation efforts to effectively combat gully erosion in the watershed.

Trapping of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in seagrass beds: Ubiquity across a vertical and horizontal sampling gradient

Seagrass beds can trap large amounts of marine debris leading to areas of accumulation, known as ‘sinks’, of anthropogenic particles. While the presence of vegetation can enhance accumulation, less is known about how the trapping effect changes from vegetated to less vegetated patches. To test this, vegetation and sediment were sampled along a vegetation percent cover gradient from the centre of seagrass beds to nearby less vegetated patches. To determine whether trapped particles can lead to increased accumulation in associated fauna, gastropods were also collected from the transects laid across this gradient. Extracted anthropogenic particles were counted and characterised. Particles were detected in all sample types and reached quantifiable limits in at least 50% of sediment and gastropod samples. There was no significant difference in the distribution of particles found in seagrass beds compared to less vegetated patches, suggesting other factors contribute to the trapping efficiency of biogenic habitats besides simply the presence or absence of vegetation.

Analysis of Climate Variable and Fisherman Perception on Climate Change Divers in Negombo Lagoon Area

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Climate change has undoubtedly become one of the most contentious issues in the international environmental debates and has escalated the impacts on fishery industries and fishing communities globally. This study was conducted to quantify the variations in climate variables, and coastal vegetation that may affect the fisheries industry due to climate change over past three decades in the Negombo lagoon area. Further, the knowledge and awareness of fisheries and associated communities on climate change was investigate. To understand the dynamics of the precipitation and temperature, monthly data for 30 years (1989-2022) were collected from the Department of Meteorology and 19 Module Bio-climatic Variables (MBV) were calculated to determine the climatologycal variation. The change in the coastal vegetation was analyzed using the Landsat 8 satellite using ArcGIS 10.8. A questionnaire survey and a focus group discussion were carried out as assess the knowledge, awareness and impact of climate change in the fisheries community (n=80). The mean annual and minimum and maximum precipitation ranged from 118.6 mm-268.6 and 0.6 mm - 826.6 mm. The mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures varied from 28.8o C- 32.3o C, 33o C-34o C and 29o C-30o C. Out of 19 MBV variables, 9 variables had increasing trends while 3 variables had decreasing trend. The change percentage of coastal vegetation cover from 1992-2002, 2002-2012, 2012-2022 was observed as 35.71%, 4.99% and 6.13%. As per the peoples‘ knowledge of climate change, it was highlighted that around 50% of respondents does not have a proper idea on what is climate change (40% of respondents stated that the variation of precipitation and wind is the climate change drivers; Further, 40% of respondents attested that land use change with time has accelerated climate change while 30% of respondents mentioned that lack of coastal awareness and restoration programs is the second main reason for accelerated climate change that affect the fishery industry). The outcomes of the focus group discussion revealed that fishing activities are heavily affected by climate change drivers, and some engage in alternative jobs in extreme climatic conditions to feed their families. Finally, fishery communities highlighted the need for the government and other responsible authorities to take necessary actions to adapt and strengthen the resilience to climate change. This study corroborates the timely and topical obligation for sustainable fisheries management action planning for the Negombo area.&#x0D; Keywords: Climate change, Coastal mangrove vegetation-precipitation-temperature change, Fisheries communities, Knowledge, Awareness, Negombo&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Flying to greener pastures: Spider ballooning in the city

Abstract Spider ballooning is a phenomenon in which spiders employ silk threads to travel through the air for dispersal. While this behaviour has been extensively studied in agricultural areas, limited research has been conducted in urban environments, where green spaces are highly fragmented. However, in cities, aerial dispersal can be advantageous for spiders as it allows them to move to suitable habitat patches. This study aimed to investigate how the urban landscape affects spider ballooning. We collected ballooning spider samples using sticky traps in 10 urban sites within different landscape contexts. By using generalised linear models, we analysed the influence of vegetation cover at both local and landscape scales on spider abundance and family richness. Family composition was similar across the city regardless of the landscape context. More individuals were collected dispersing aerially in areas with low landscape‐level green cover. However, a higher local percentage of vegetation cover led to a substantial increase in aerial dispersal in areas with high landscape‐level green cover. Our findings highlight the significance of the interaction between vegetation cover at these two scales on aerial spider abundance. Our results support the hypothesis that generalist spiders exhibit increased ballooning in highly fragmented landscapes, actively seeking suitable habitats despite the elevated associated risk. Higher aerial dispersal in areas with greater local vegetation cover suggests an increase in short‐distance dispersal, indicating spiders' active search for better habitats nearby upon arrival at a site with potentially greater habitat availability.

Soil Stockpile Age Does Not Impact Vegetation Establishment in a Cold, Arid Natural Gas Field

Abstract Land reclamation is critical to ensure surface disturbance associated with natural gas development is not permanent. Soil management is critical to reclamation success, especially in arid environments. Typically, natural gas well pad construction involves stripping topsoil to allow for equipment to be on level ground and placing it into a stockpile. After well pad construction, soil is respread and seeded to initiate interim reclamation. Previous research has shown that soil disturbance during natural gas well pad construction and subsequent reclamation in cold, arid environments is highest at the stripping and respreading phases, with minimal soil activity occurring during the stockpile phase. Other research has shown that additional soil disturbances after reclamation is initiated may exacerbate soil damage, limiting revegetation potential. Here, we examine soil stockpiles that are 1 to 7 years old in the Jonah Infill natural gas field for vegetation emergence and vegetation cover using an image analysis software called SamplePoint. In a 10-week greenhouse experiment, we found vegetation cover across stockpile age classes increased uniformly during the study period but that there was no significant difference in the rate of vegetation cover increase or percentage vegetation cover over time. These findings suggest it may be better to keep soil stockpiled in cold, arid natural gas fields when it is uncertain if additional construction activities will be required on a well pad location rather than respreading soil with a chance that redisturbance is necessary.

Unlocking Urban Insights: A Case Study on Impact of Urban Vegetation on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Variability Across Different Areas of Reggio Emilia, Italy

The Po Valley is one of the European regions most severely affected by air pollution. Within the spectrum of airborne molecules, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) represent a significant component, derived from both natural processes and anthropogenic sources. All VOCs influence air quality, as they are precursors to ozone (O3), secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and particulate matter (PM). While naturally occurring VOCs contribute to the formation of air pollutants, they also have beneficial effects on human health. Furthermore, vegetation plays a fundamental role in air purification and improvement of air quality both directly, through the metabolic processes of leaves, and indirectly, through physical mechanisms.&#x0D; This study aims to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative fluctuations of VOCs in different zones within the city of Reggio Emilia (Italy), characterized by varying percentages of vegetation cover and proximity to high-traffic roads. The collected data suggest that air quality may be influenced by the spatial distribution and type of urban area, with urban parks and green zones showing lower concentrations of total VOCs compared to areas with less vegetation cover. These observations can contribute to formulating strategies to improve air quality in urban areas and emphasize the importance of vegetation in an urban context.

Mapping landscape ecological patterns using numeric and categorical maps.

The reciprocal relationships between ecological process and landscape pattern are fundamental to landscape ecology. Landscape ecologists traditionally use raster maps portraying classified features such as land use or land cover categories, and metrics suggested by the patch-corridor-matrix conceptual model of pattern. Less attention has been given to the landscape gradient conceptual model and raster maps portraying numeric features such as greenness or percent vegetation cover. We introduce the open-source tool GraySpatCon to calculate and map a variety of landscape pattern metrics from both conceptual models using either categorical or numeric maps. The 51 metrics, drawn mostly from the landscape ecology and image processing literatures, are calculated from the frequencies of input pixel values and/or the pixel value adjacencies in an analysis region. GraySpatCon conducts either a moving window analysis which produces a continuous map of a pattern metric, or a global analysis which produces a single metric value. We describe an implementation in the GuidosToolbox desktop application which allows novice users to interactively explore GraySpatCon functionality. In the R desktop environment, we demonstrate several metrics using an example map of percent tree cover and illustrate a multi-scale moving window analysis to identify scale domains. Comparisons of computational efficiency indicate a substantial GraySpatCon advantage over related software in the R environment.

The acoustic activity of Physalaemus cuvieri (Anura Leptodactylidae) is strongly influenced by climatic conditions, but not by latitude or landscape metrics

Understanding the factors that influence acoustic activity of anuran species is essential for proper species management and herein, we investigated the influence of landscape metrics (% native vegetation cover and number of patches), latitude and climatic variables (temperature and relative humidity) on the acoustic activity of Physalaemus cuvieri. We used Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) to record the acoustic activity in males of the target species in 29 water bodies distributed throughout the Cerrado, the Brazilian savanna. We investigated whether the rate of call emission by P. cuvieri males is influenced by predictor variables based on generalized linear mixed models. The call rate of P. cuvieri males was influenced only by air temperature variation throughout night. We found a peak of acoustic activity in the warmer hours in the beginning of the night followed by a decrease as the air temperature declines throughout the dawn. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find any significant influence of latitude, relative humidity or landscape metrics (number of fragments or percentage of native vegetation cover) on the acoustic activity of P. cuvieri. The impacts of landscape metrics on the acoustic activity of P. cuvieri are not significant, because it is a species with more generalist ecological requirements, which to allow the individuals to move across the landscape to be successful in colonizing water bodies situated in altered environments. Previous studies have suggested that changes in temperature may affect species phenology, since individuals alter their vocal activity, or their time spent in chorus in response to climate change. In this sense, our results are important because they allow us to predict the impact of future climate change on the acoustic activity of the target species, as well as demographic implications.

Performance of Wanggu Watershed Management Based on Land Indicators

Based on the study, it was found that the land in the Wanggu Watershed is highly dynamic due to community activities such as agriculture, plantations, forestry, and settlement development. This can affect the performance and carrying capacity of the land in the watershed. The purpose of study was to evaluate the performance of watershed management and analyze the land-carrying capacity based on indicators of land. The parameters analyzed were the percentage of critical land area, the percentage of vegetation cover, and the erosion index. To obtain the data needed for the study, both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data was obtained through the overlay of the base map to obtain a map of critical land, making land cover maps, and calculating erosion prediction and carrying capacity analysis of the Wanggu Watershed. Secondary data was obtained from related agencies in the form of critical land data, land cover data, literature, policy documents, and study reports that are relevant to watershed management performance. The results of the study showed that the percentage of critical and somewhat critical land area in the Wanggu Watershed is 16.07 percent, which means that this value still qualifies as high category critical land recovery. The percentage of vegetation cover, especially forest cover, is 27.10 percent, which is still in bad condition. The average erosion index value is 2.00, which is high. Based on these three parameters of land condition indicators in the Wanggu Watershed, the performance of watershed management has a poor land carrying capacity category with a value of 50. Overall, the study highlights the need for better management and conservation of the land in the Wanggu Watershed to improve its performance and carrying capacity.

Assessing micro-macroparasite selective pressures and anthropogenic disturbance as drivers of immune gene diversity in a Neotropical wild cat

Anthropogenic environmental change is reducing available habitat for wild species, providing novel selection pressures such as infectious diseases and causing species to interact in new ways. The potential for emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses at the interface between humans, domestic animals, and wild species is a key global concern. In vertebrates, diversity at the major histocompatibility complex MHC is critical to disease resilience, and its study in wild populations provides insights into eco-evolutionary dynamics that human activities alter. In natural populations, variation at MHC loci is partly maintained by balancing selection, driven by pathogenic selective pressures. We hypothesize that MHC genetic diversity differs between guigna populations inhabiting human-dominated landscapes (higher pathogen pressures) versus more natural habitats (lower pathogen pressures). We predict that MHC diversity in guignas would be highest in human-dominated landscapes compared with continuous forest habitats. We also expected to find higher MHC diversity in guignas infected with micro and macro parasites (higher parasite load) versus non infected guignas. We characterized for the first time the genetic diversity at three MHC class I and II exons in 128 wild guignas (Leopardus guigna) across their distribution range in Chile (32–46° S) and Argentina, representing landscapes with varying levels of human disturbance. We integrated MHC sequence diversity with multiple measures of anthropogenic disturbance and both micro and macro parasite infection data. We also assessed signatures of positive selection acting on MHC genes. We found significantly higher MHC class I diversity in guignas inhabiting landscapes where houses were present, and with lower percentage of vegetation cover, and also in animals with more severe cardiorespiratory helminth infection (richness and intensity) and micro-macroparasite co-infection. This comprehensive, landscape-level assessment further enhances our knowledge on the evolutionary dynamics and adaptive potential of vertebrates in the face of emerging infectious disease threats and increasing anthropogenic impacts.

The Effect of Environmental Variables on the Distribution of some Submerged Aquatic Plants Eastern Al-Hammar and Al-Chebiyesh

This study aims to determine some physical and chemical factors and their impact on the abundance and distribution of some submersible aquatic plants for four selected stations in the southern marshes, two stations in the Eastern Hammar marshes (Al-Burga and Al-Sada) and two stations in the Al-Chebiyesh marshes (Abu-Sobat and Al-Baghdadia). Water and plant samples were collected seasonally during the year 2018. The water temperature, electrical conductivity, water depth were estimated physical variables, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and phosphate concentration as well as chemical variables for water samples, as well as estimation of biomass, percentage of vegetation cover, and frequency of submerged plant species. The results showed that the highest water temperature was 34.45 °C in the Abu Sobat station during the summer, while the lowest temperature was recorded at 10.85 °C in the Al-Burga station during the winter. The highest depths of water during the winter in the Al-Sada station and the lowest depths in Al-Baghdadia station during the summer. The lowest value of dissolved oxygen was 4 mg/L in Al-Baghdadia during the summer, while the highest value was 9. The biomass, vegetation cover, and frequency were estimated for four plant species, which are the most present and widespread in the various study stations, which are includedCeratophyllum demersum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Najas marina, Potamogeton perfoliatus. The percentage of similarity between the different study stations was also calculated.

Watershed Management Performance Assessment Based on Land Condition Indicators (Laeya Watershed Case, Southeast Sulawesi Province

Laeya Watershed is one of the three Priority Watersheds in Southeast Sulawesi. Therefore, monitoring and evaluating watershed performance is very important to ensure that watershed management is sustainable. This study aims to assess the performance of watershed management based on indicators of land conditions in the Laeya Watershed, Southeast Sulawesi Province. The method used is a survey with a scoring technique using the parameters index of the percentage of critical land, vegetation cover, and erosion index to determine the carrying capacity of the watershed. The results showed that the carrying capacity of the Laeya Watershed was classified as very good with a score of 35 (&lt;70), with each sub-criterion of critical land classified as very low with a score of 0.5, sub-criteria for vegetation cover classified as good with a score of 0.75 and sub-criteria the erosion index criteria are classified as very high with a score of 0.75. It can be concluded that the management performance of the Laeya watershed is very good.

The Impact of Breeding Yellow-Legged Gulls on Vegetation Cover and Plant Composition of Grey Dune Habitats

The establishment of large populations of yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis in coastal and urban areas can lead to strong changes in vegetation cover and composition through creating physical disturbance in the vegetation and impacting the soil quality through defecation. In this study, we evaluated the effects of breeding yellow-legged gull populations on tall and short vegetation cover and plant species composition in old (occupied for 13 years) and new (occupied for 3 years) colony sites in grey dunes of the Algarve, southern Portugal. In each site, sampling plots were used to measure the percentage of vegetation cover in areas with and without breeding gulls. In the old colony site, the cover by tall vegetation was substantially reduced and the cover by short vegetation substantially increased in the areas where gulls are breeding in comparison with the adjacent areas. In the new colony sites, there were only minor differences. The increase in cover of short vegetation in the breeding area of the old colony site was mostly by nitrophilous species (Paronychia argentea and Malcolmia littorea) and should be explained by the decrease in vegetation cover of tall plant species and by feces deposition. Tall and slow-growing species Suaeda maritima and Helichrysum italicum covers were negatively affected. Our results showed that yellow-legged gulls affected vegetation cover and composition of grey dunes after 3 years of consecutive breeding, and this should be considered in the management of these habitats where breeding yellow-legged gulls are increasing.

Plant succession on glacial moraines in the Arctic Brooks Range along a >125,000-year glacial chronosequence/toposequence

ABSTRACT Widespread glacial retreat is now occurring in many arctic mountain ranges, yet little is known about primary succession following deglaciation in these settings. Newly created habitats could provide refugia for flora and fauna whose ranges are threatened elsewhere by rapid warming. To assess vegetation responses to glacial retreat in an arctic–alpine setting, we first describe plant community development on two recently deglaciated moraines in the Brooks Range. We then compare these recent communities with communities developed along a moraine chronosequence that spans >125,000 years and ranges in altitude between 800 and 1,700 m.a.s.l. Results show that (1) within twenty-two to thirty-six years following deglaciation, primary succession begins with the assembly of small communities of eight to thirteen vascular and nonvascular plant species; (2) species turnover is low, with many pioneer taxa, particularly lichens, persisting at the oldest sites and across all altitudes; and (3) overall, succession is directional and slow, with species richness increasing for up to 25,000 years, and percentage vegetation cover reaching >100 percent on the oldest glacial deposits. This is the first vegetation study on primary succession in the high central Brooks Range, and it supplies a previously missing alpine element within a vegetation transect across northern Alaska’s bioclimatic gradient.

Geographical analysis of the variance of the standard vegetation index (NDVI) and its characteristics in Najaf Governorate for the summer season

The study aims to know the change in the percentage of vegetation cover in Najaf Governorate using the vegetation cover index (NDVI), where the duration of the study was divided into five micro-climatic cycles and tracked the extent of the change in vegetation cover during the five cycles in the two seasons (summer) through the use of modern geographical techniques Including remote sensing technology, where the study concluded that the study area tends to drought and the encroachment of dry areas at the expense of green areas Research problem: - Is there a discrepancy in the standard vegetation cover index (NDVI) in Najaf Governorate for the hot season of the year? Research hypothesis: - Yes, there is a temporal and spatial variation in the standard vegetation cover index (NDVI) in Najaf Governorate during the hot season (summer). The aim of the research: - This study aims to detect and control the extent of spatio-temporal change of vegetation cover in Najaf Governorate during the hot season of the year (summer) for the time period from 1966 - 2020 AD.

Responses of Urban Bird Assemblages to Land-Sparing and Land-Sharing Development Styles in Two Argentinian Cities

Urbanization negatively affects biodiversity worldwide. Consequently, alternative urban development styles are required for an eco-friendlier urbanization process. Thus, two development styles have been suggested: land-sharing (buildings mixed with dispersed green space) and land-sparing (buildings interspersed with large green patches). We assessed differences in species diversity and composition of bird assemblages between both development styles in two Argentinian cities: Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. We surveyed birds in land-sharing and land-sparing areas during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. As a control, we also surveyed birds in areas dominated by impervious surfaces. At a local scale, we also measured the environmental noise and pedestrian traffic. At a landscape scale, we measured the percent vegetation cover surrounding development styles and their distance to the main river. In Buenos Aires, species richness was higher in land-sparing than in land-sharing. However, the Shannon diversity and Simpson diversity were higher in land-sharing. In Santa Fe, both urban development styles supported similar species richness and diversity. Species composition varied between land-sharing and land-sparing in both cities during the breeding season. The pedestrian traffic was negatively associated with species diversity. Therefore, both development styles and strategies to reduce pedestrian traffic should be taken into account to enhance different components of species diversity and composition within the urban matrix.

Prescribed fire increases the number of ground‐nesting bee nests in tallgrass prairie remnants

Abstract Prescribed burning is a common management technique in tallgrass prairie remnants, but there have been few empirical studies that directly examine burning impacts on the nesting preferences and habitat of ground‐nesting bees. We used emergence traps in remnant tallgrass prairies in western Minnesota, USA to determine whether ground‐nesting bees prefer to nest in burned or unburned prairies. We estimated the total number of nests made by actively nesting bees in burned and unburned patches by assessing each specimen for wing and mandible wear, sex, and sociality. We also measured characteristics that may influence bee nesting preferences including bare ground, thatch depth, vegetative cover, and the floral community. We found more nests of actively nesting ground‐nesting bees in burned patches than unburned patches, but no differences in effective number of species of ground‐nesting bees or community composition. Burned patches had higher amounts of percent bare ground and a thinner thatch layer, but no differences in percent vegetative cover, floral abundance, flowering plant species richness, effective number of species of flowers or community composition. Our results suggest that ground‐nesting bees prefer to nest in burned patches of remnant tallgrass prairies and highlight opportunities for future research to better understand bee nesting ecology in response to prairie management.

Mapping and dynamic monitoring of military training-induced vegetation cover loss using Sentinel-2 images and method comparison.

Sustainable management of the US Army installations is critical for military training and readiness of forces. However, monitoring military training-induced vegetation cover disturbances using remote sensing data is challenging due to the lack of methodology for optimizing the selection of spectral variables or predictors and spatial modeling methods. This study aimed to propose and demonstrate a methodological solution for this purpose. The study was conducted in the Fort Riley installation in which three training areas were selected to map and monitor the training-induced vegetation cover loss. Sentinel-2 images and field observations of percentage vegetation cover (PVC) were combined at a spatial resolution of 10m by 10m to map PVC and its dynamics by comparison of two predictor selection methods and five spatial modeling algorithms based on a total of 304 spectral variables from the images before and after the training. Results showed that overall, the correlation-based predictor selection method reduced the relative root mean square error (RRMSE) of PVC predictions by 4.44% than the random forest (RF)-based predictor selection. Machine learning methods including RF, neural network, and support vector machine overall reduced the RRMSE of PVC predictions by 42.83% compared with multiple linear regression and k-nearest neighbors. Combining correlation-based predictor selection and RF modeling, coupled with leave one out cross validation, provided the greatest potential of increasing the accuracy of monitoring the vegetation cover loss. The findings provided useful implications to develop a near real-time system of monitoring military training-induced vegetation cover loss.

Spatial analysis of vegetation using GIS and remote sensing data

The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors in Iraq, as it supports the Iraqi economy and provides food security for people in Baghdad. Nevertheless, this sector is suffering from a remarkable decrease in agricultural production. Therefore, there is a high need for the assessment of the agricultural cover in the last decades to provide a comprehensive view of the changes in this sector. The research focuses on the spatial analysis of spatial and urban cover using GIS, remote sensing data, and the NDVI indicator in three periods of time (2001, 2011, and 2021). The results of the study showed a decrease in the area of vegetation cover for the year 2011 for most of the counties while the area of vegetation cover increased in the study area in 2021 in comparison with 2011 due to the impact of the water resources factor and the share of each county. In 2001, the percentage of vegetation cover was 37% of the study area while it was 23% in 2011 and increased to 32% in 2021. This research supports the decision-makers and planners by providing the amount and spatial distribution of the vegetation cover.

Evaluating the impacts of Payment for Ecosystem Services (water supplies) in an agricultural system of the Brazilian Cerrado.

In this study, we investigated the effects of the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in an agrisystem located in the Brazilian Midwest. This PES benefits the owners of rural properties that encompass springs that feed the Abóbora River microbasin which supplies water for consumption in the city of Rio Verde, Goiás. We evaluated the percentage of native vegetation cover around the springs of the watercourses and also estimated its change over time (2005, 2011 and 2017). The vegetation cover of the Areas of Permanent Preservation (APP) increased by 2.24% on average, seven years after the implantation of the PES. There was little difference in the change of vegetation cover maintained over the study years (2005, 2011, and 2017), however, the vegetation cover increased for 17 springs, decreased for 11 springs, and was completely degraded for other two. To improve the performance of this PES, we recommend (1) expanding the program to include the APPs surrounding the springs, together with the legal reserves of each property, (2) implementing measures to ensure that properties are environmentally adequate, (3) including the properties in the Brazilian Rural Environment Register (CAR), and (4) obtaining environmental licensing for the activities undertaken within the Abóbora River basin.