A decision support system model is described to advise nature park managers. It applies dynamic modelling techniques to relate abiotic characteristics of a site over time to species that can be found. For a desired vegetation type it determines how such abiotic factors are to be changed in order to obtain the desired change in the vegetation after some time. The system takes into account an eco...

This paper describes the evolution in time and space of the submerged vegetation in a lagoon. This model was developed for the Orbetello Lagoon Management Office to predict the development of both macroalgae and macrophytes and test the actions to favour the latter. Based on a previous model describing the interactions between nutrients and the submerged vegetation, this paper presents a furthe...

[1] Ecosystems of dry climates are a particularly interesting subject for ecohydrological studies, as water is generally considered to be the key limiting resource. This work focuses on vegetation-water-energy dynamics occurring on the complex terrain of a semiarid area characteristic of central New Mexico. The study employs a mechanistic model of coupled interactions to construct a set of nume...

This study area is located in the eastern littoral of the Iberian Peninsula; its importance resides in its Mediterranean ecosystem, complex topography, extensive land use changes, and intensive forest fires history. The study is done at the landscape level, covering a wide area for an extended period of time. This work uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS)...

Using time series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and rainfall data, we investigated historical vegetation productivity trends from 1982 to 2011 over the Bani River Basin in Mali. Statistical agreements between long-term trends in vegetation productivty, corresponding rainfall and rate of land cover change from Landsat time-series imagery was used to discern climate versus huma...

Vegetation modelling has been viewed as a major approach for examining the dynamics of vegetation under climatic change. However, the characterization of uncertainty of model results is still a key issue. In order to improve future model-based research, it is important to synthesize the current approaches and the issues that arise in vegetation modelling and to propose potential strategies for ...

The use of a systemic approach allows us to analyse the interrelationship between the vegetation dynamic and the agricultural practices through three biological indicators which relate to one hundred paddocks in six cattle farms. Concerning the vegetation dynamics, it seems that some management practices lead to a nonreversable degradation stage. As regards the forage system, the measure of swa...

This study examines how satellite based time-series vegetation greenness data and phenological measurements can be used to monitor and quantify vegetation recovery after wildfire disturbances and examine how pre-fire fuel reduction restoration treatments impact fire severity and impact vegetation recovery trajectories. Pairs of wildfire affected sites and a nearby unburned reference site were c...

Gazi Bay, Kenya, covers an area of 18 km2, and its mangroves are degraded. We present a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the degradation of vegetation structure and dynamics of mangrove communities over a period of 25 yr, using aerial photography in a geographical information system (GIS), combined with ground-truth data for different vegetation layers, and with faunal and environment...

The Brazilian Cerrado biome comprises a vertically structured mosaic of grassland, shrubland, and woodland physiognomies with distinct phenology patterns. In this study, we investigated the utility of spectral vegetation indices in differentiating these physiognomies and in monitoring their seasonal dynamics. We obtained high spectral resolution reflectances, during the 2000 wet and dry seasons...