Final Report: Comparing Effects of Management Practices on Rangeland Health with Geospatial Technologies
نویسنده
چکیده
Understanding the distribution of landscape variables presents several advantages to researchers focusing on ecological studies. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a relatively common productivity variable used to assess, monitor, and compare landscapes. In this study, an NDVI layer was created using Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre 4 (SPOT 4) satellite imagery to compare the pattern of NDVI values at waterholes/shelters relative to the pattern of NDVI values at random locations in semiarid rangelands of northern Spain. Single factor ANOVA revealed that NDVI values at waterholes/shelters were significantly lower than those at random locations. Analysis of topographic variables (slope) revealed that NDVI values at gentler slopes (<5°) were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than values at steeper slopes (>5°) within grazed areas, while NDVI values in areas with steeper slopes (>5°) were significantly higher (P < 0.001) under total rest. Land use, specifically semi-extensive livestock grazing, appears to be the main factor governing the observed NDVI distributions.
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