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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
111

L’éco-pastoralisme un outil adapté pour la gestion conservatoire des écosystèmes très anthropisés ? : le cas des digues artificielles du canal de dérivation de Donzère-Mondragon dans la vallée du Rhône (Vaucluse-Drôme, France) / Ecograzing, a tool adapted for the conservation of highly anthropised ecosystems? : The case of the artificial dykes of the Donzère-Mondragon canal in the Rhône valley (Vaucluse-Drôme, France)

Moinardeau, Cannelle 12 December 2018 (has links)
L’objectif principal de la thèse était de caractériser les impacts de différents types de gestion pastorale (bovins, équins, caprins) sur les communautés végétales de « nouveaux écosystèmes » fortement anthropisés que sont les digues et remblais de la réserve de Donzère-Mondragon dans la basse vallée du Rhône. Différents outils ont été utilisés (relevés de végétation, analyses de sols, analyses minérales des herbages, télédétection, SIG, etc.) à des échelles spatiales différentes afin de dégager les interrelations entre les différents niveaux d’organisation et fonctionnalités de la végétation. En effet, l’émergence des « nouveaux écosystèmes » oblige les gestionnaires à reconsidérer les principes initiaux de la gestion conservatoire. Dans notre étude, il a pu être démontré que les systèmes de pâturage faisant appel à des troupeaux d’herbivores dont l’organisation est adaptée pour maintenir l’ouverture des milieux, augmentent la richesse spécifique, la diversité et l’hétérogénéité de la végétation à court terme (3-5 années) par rapport à l’absence de gestion ou aux interventions mécaniques. Les analyses montrent également que les espèces annuelles qui apparaissent sont appétentes et contribuent à augmenter la valeur fourragère de certains faciès du site pâturé par les chevaux. Ces herbivores ont également un impact sur la banque de graines permanente du sol en augmentant son hétérogénéité et la densité de graines viables sous les faciès les plus pâturés. Le pâturage des vaches et des chevaux confirme une corrélation entre l’indice de végétation (NDVI) obtenu après l’analyse de photographies aériennes, la biomasse et la richesse en espèces végétales. Les estimations d’indices de consommation de la ronce sous SIG ont permis d’apprécier l’efficacité de l’action des chèvres. Ces différents résultats, pour les modalités testées, correspondent bien à ceux déjà obtenus lors d’applications de systèmes pastoraux en milieux naturels. Des expérimentations devraient également être menées à l’avenir via des systèmes de pâturage mixtes notamment bovin-caprin et équin-caprin pour accroître l’effet de la restauration aux dépens de la colonisation d’arbustes compétitifs dont la ronce. La gestion pastorale appliquée devrait néanmoins être pensée sur le moyen terme, si possible via des contrats pluriannuels, favorisant la durabilité de cette méthode de gestion et de ses effets dans le temps. / The main objective of the thesis was to characterize the impacts of different types of pastoral management (cattle, horses, goats) on "new ecosystems" plant communities. Our experimentations were conducted in highly anthropized dykes and embankments of the Donzère-Mondragon reserve in the lower Rhone valley. Various tools were used (i.e. vegetation surveys, soil analyzes, grassland mineral analyzes, remote sensing, GIS, etc.), and at different spatial scales in order to identify the interrelationships between the different levels of vegetation organization and functions. Indeed, the emergence of "new ecosystems" requires managers to reconsider the initial principles of conservation management. Our study showed that, in the short term (3-5 years), grazing systems using herds of herbivores, whose organization is adapted to maintain open habitats, increase species richness, diversity and heterogeneity of plant communities compared to lack of management or mechanical interventions. Moreover, the annual species that appear are appetizing and contribute to increase the forage value of the site grazed by horses. These herbivores also have an impact on the permanent seed bank by increasing both its heterogeneity and the density of viable seeds under the most grazed patches. Grazing of cattle and horses confirm a correlation between the vegetation index (NDVI), biomass and plant species richness. Finally, we evaluated the efficacy of goats’ action on bramble via consumption indices calculated using GIS. Our different results are in the line with those already obtained in natural environments. Future experiments should test the effects of mixed grazing systems, particularly cattle, goats and horses, on the colonization dynamic of competitive shrubs such as brambles. Applied pastoral management should be considered in the medium term, via multi-year contracts to promote the sustainability of this management method and its effects over time.
112

Mapeamento e estimativa de área de cana-de-açúcar no estado do Paraná / Mapping and estimate of the sugarcane area in Paraná state, Brazil

Cechim Júnior, Clóvis 04 February 2016 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:24:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Clovis_Cechim_MC.pdf: 6987482 bytes, checksum: c33db297dd7ec8aaf8bfde9e1e56c2cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-04 / Sugarcane has been cropped and produced in Brazil for a long time, so, it deserves mention because it makes the country as the largest producer, with also representativeness in sugar and ethanol production. The knowledge of reliable estimates concerning their cropped areas is essential for Brazilian agribusiness, as they help in determining prices to producers by power plants as well as allow establishing logistics flow of production. The cropped areas estimates are made by official agencies. Therefore, in order to reduce this subjectivity, geotechnology use comes as an alternative since it has been widely used in mappings agricultural crops. Thus, this study aimed at developing a methodology for mapping sugarcane crop in Paraná State with satellite images as LANDSAT, IRS and spectrum-temporal series of vegetation indexes from MODIS sensor, for 2010/2011 to 2014/2015 harvesting season. The carried out mappings indicated a strong positive correlation concerning Canasat and official IBGE. The developed method was based on Fuzzy ARTMAP classification and was efficient to map and estimate the sugarcane cropped area using vegetation index in Paraná State. / A cana-de-açúcar como cultura cultivada e produzida no Brasil merece destaque, pois torna o País o maior produtor mundial, com representatividade também na produção de açúcar e etanol. O conhecimento de estimativas confiáveis de suas áreas cultivadas é imprescindível para o agronegócio brasileiro, por auxiliar na determinação dos preços aos produtores pelas usinas e permitir estabelecer a logística de escoamento da produção. As estimativas de área cultivada são realizadas de forma subjetiva pelos órgãos oficiais. Com a finalidade de diminuir tal subjetividade, surge como alternativa o uso de geotecnologias, as quais têm sido muito utilizadas em mapeamentos de culturas agrícolas. Diante disto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para o mapeamento da cultura de cana-de-açúcar para o Estado do Paraná usando imagens dos satélites LANDSAT, IRS e de séries espectro-temporais de índices de vegetação, provenientes do sensor MODIS, para as safras de 2010/2011 a 2014/2015. O mapeamento da cultura foi realizado a partir do modelo de classificação supervisionada Fuzzy ARTMAP, tendo como variáveis de entrada, termos harmônicos de amplitude e fase e as métricas fenológicas da cultura. Os mapeamentos realizados indicaram forte correlação positiva com relação aos dados do Canasat e oficiais IBGE. O método desenvolvido com base na classificação Fuzzy ARTMAP demonstrou ser eficiente para mapear e estimar a área cultivada da cultura de cana-de-açúcar utilizando índices de vegetação no Estado do Paraná.
113

Mapeamento e estimativa de área de cana-de-açúcar no estado do Paraná / Mapping and estimate of the sugarcane area in Paraná state, Brazil

Cechim Júnior, Clóvis 04 February 2016 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:47:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Clovis_Cechim_MC.pdf: 6987482 bytes, checksum: c33db297dd7ec8aaf8bfde9e1e56c2cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-04 / Sugarcane has been cropped and produced in Brazil for a long time, so, it deserves mention because it makes the country as the largest producer, with also representativeness in sugar and ethanol production. The knowledge of reliable estimates concerning their cropped areas is essential for Brazilian agribusiness, as they help in determining prices to producers by power plants as well as allow establishing logistics flow of production. The cropped areas estimates are made by official agencies. Therefore, in order to reduce this subjectivity, geotechnology use comes as an alternative since it has been widely used in mappings agricultural crops. Thus, this study aimed at developing a methodology for mapping sugarcane crop in Paraná State with satellite images as LANDSAT, IRS and spectrum-temporal series of vegetation indexes from MODIS sensor, for 2010/2011 to 2014/2015 harvesting season. The carried out mappings indicated a strong positive correlation concerning Canasat and official IBGE. The developed method was based on Fuzzy ARTMAP classification and was efficient to map and estimate the sugarcane cropped area using vegetation index in Paraná State. / A cana-de-açúcar como cultura cultivada e produzida no Brasil merece destaque, pois torna o País o maior produtor mundial, com representatividade também na produção de açúcar e etanol. O conhecimento de estimativas confiáveis de suas áreas cultivadas é imprescindível para o agronegócio brasileiro, por auxiliar na determinação dos preços aos produtores pelas usinas e permitir estabelecer a logística de escoamento da produção. As estimativas de área cultivada são realizadas de forma subjetiva pelos órgãos oficiais. Com a finalidade de diminuir tal subjetividade, surge como alternativa o uso de geotecnologias, as quais têm sido muito utilizadas em mapeamentos de culturas agrícolas. Diante disto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para o mapeamento da cultura de cana-de-açúcar para o Estado do Paraná usando imagens dos satélites LANDSAT, IRS e de séries espectro-temporais de índices de vegetação, provenientes do sensor MODIS, para as safras de 2010/2011 a 2014/2015. O mapeamento da cultura foi realizado a partir do modelo de classificação supervisionada Fuzzy ARTMAP, tendo como variáveis de entrada, termos harmônicos de amplitude e fase e as métricas fenológicas da cultura. Os mapeamentos realizados indicaram forte correlação positiva com relação aos dados do Canasat e oficiais IBGE. O método desenvolvido com base na classificação Fuzzy ARTMAP demonstrou ser eficiente para mapear e estimar a área cultivada da cultura de cana-de-açúcar utilizando índices de vegetação no Estado do Paraná.
114

Spatio-temporal dynamics in land use and habit fragmentation in Sandveld, South Africa

James Takawira Magidi January 2010 (has links)
<p>This research assessed landuse changes and trends in vegetation cover in the Sandveld, using remote sensing images. Landsat TM satellite images of 1990, 2004 and 2007 were classified using the maximum likelihood classifier into seven landuse classes, namely water, agriculture, fire patches, natural vegetation, wetlands, disturbed veld, and open sands. Change detection using remote sensing algorithms and landscape metrics was performed on these multi-temporal landuse maps using the Land Change Modeller and Patch Analyst respectively. Markov stochastic modelling techniques were used to predict future scenarios in landuse change based on the classified images and their transitional probabilities. MODIS NDVI multi-temporal datasets with a 16day temporal resolution were used to assess seasonal and annual trends in vegetation cover using time series analysis (PCA and time profiling).Results indicated that natural vegetation decreased from 46% to 31% of the total landscape between 1990 and 2007 and these biodiversity losses were attributed to an increasing agriculture footprint. Predicted future scenario based on transitional probabilities revealed a continual loss in natural habitat and increase in the agricultural footprint. Time series analysis results (principal components and temporal profiles) suggested that the landscape has a high degree of overall dynamic change with pronounced inter and intra-annual changes and there was an overall increase in greenness associated with increase in agricultural activity. The study concluded that without future conservation interventions natural habitats would continue to disappear, a condition that will impact heavily on biodiversity and significant waterdependent ecosystems such as wetlands. This has significant implications for the long-term provision of water from ground water reserves and for the overall sustainability of current agricultural practices.</p>
115

Spatio-temporal dynamics in land use and habit fragmentation in Sandveld, South Africa

James Takawira Magidi January 2010 (has links)
<p>This research assessed landuse changes and trends in vegetation cover in the Sandveld, using remote sensing images. Landsat TM satellite images of 1990, 2004 and 2007 were classified using the maximum likelihood classifier into seven landuse classes, namely water, agriculture, fire patches, natural vegetation, wetlands, disturbed veld, and open sands. Change detection using remote sensing algorithms and landscape metrics was performed on these multi-temporal landuse maps using the Land Change Modeller and Patch Analyst respectively. Markov stochastic modelling techniques were used to predict future scenarios in landuse change based on the classified images and their transitional probabilities. MODIS NDVI multi-temporal datasets with a 16day temporal resolution were used to assess seasonal and annual trends in vegetation cover using time series analysis (PCA and time profiling).Results indicated that natural vegetation decreased from 46% to 31% of the total landscape between 1990 and 2007 and these biodiversity losses were attributed to an increasing agriculture footprint. Predicted future scenario based on transitional probabilities revealed a continual loss in natural habitat and increase in the agricultural footprint. Time series analysis results (principal components and temporal profiles) suggested that the landscape has a high degree of overall dynamic change with pronounced inter and intra-annual changes and there was an overall increase in greenness associated with increase in agricultural activity. The study concluded that without future conservation interventions natural habitats would continue to disappear, a condition that will impact heavily on biodiversity and significant waterdependent ecosystems such as wetlands. This has significant implications for the long-term provision of water from ground water reserves and for the overall sustainability of current agricultural practices.</p>
116

Vegetace ve městě - hodnocení časových změn vlivu vegetačního krytu na místní klima pomocí metod dálkového průzkumu Země / Urban vegetation - temporal analysis of urban vegetation impact on local climate using remote sensing

PAVLÍČKOVÁ, Lenka January 2018 (has links)
The urban heat island (UHI) is a phenomenon of noticeably higher temperatures in the cities as compared to their respective surrounding areas. This thesis aims at characterizing the influence of city expansion to the urban heat island phenomenon. The study is carried out in a city of Caceres in the Spanish province of the same name. A model input data is obtained with Landsat multispectral images. The analysis of satellite images shows that functional vegetation cover and water surfaces help in mitigating urban heat island effect. However, the Caceres city expansion does not influence the urban heat island intensity. A possible explanation for it is as the city expanded the ratio of vegetation to dry land remains constant in time.
117

Trends in climate and urbanization and their impacts on surface water supply in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Bisrat Kifle Arsiso 02 1900 (has links)
Understanding climate change and variability at urban scale is essential for water resource management, land use planning, and development of adaption plans. However, there are serious challenges to meet these goals due to unavailability of observed and / or simulated high resolution spatial and temporal climate data. Recent efforts made possible the availability of high resolution climate data from non-hydrostatic regional climate model (RCM) and statistically downscaled General Circulation Models (GCMs). This study investigates trends in climate and urbanization and their impact on surface water supply for the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The methodology presented in this study focused on the observed and projected NIMRHadGEM2- AO model and Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) of B2 and A2 of HadCM3 model are also employed for rainfall, maximum temperature and minimum temperature data using for climate analysis. Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) modeling system was used for determination of climate and urbanization impacts on water. Land-Sat images were analyzed using Normalized Differencing Vegetation Index (NDVI). Statistical downscaling model (SDSM) was employed to investigate the major changes and intensity of the urban heat island (UHI). The result indicates monthly rainfall anomalies with respect to the baseline mean showing wet anomaly in summer (kiremt) during 2030s and 2050s, and a dry anomaly in the 2080s under A2 and B2 scenarios with exception of a wet anomaly in September over the city. The maximum temperature anomalies under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) also show warming during near, mid and end terms. The mean monthly minimum temperature anomalies under A2 and B2 scenarios are warm but the anomalies are much lower than RCPs. The climate under the RCP 8.5 and high population growth (3.3 %) scenario will lead to the unmet demand of 462.77 million m3 by 2039. Future projection of urban heat island under emission pathway of A2 and B2 scenario shows that, the nocturnal UHI will be intense in winter or dry season episodes in the city. Under A2 scenario the highest urban warming will occur during October to December (2.5 ºC to 3.2 ºC). Under RCP 8.5 scenario the highest urban warming will occur during October to December (0.5 ºC to 1.0 °C) in the 2050s and 2080s. Future management and adaptation strategies are to expand water supply to meet future demand and to implement demand side water management systems of the city and UHI / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Management)
118

A avaliação do risco da avifauna em aeródromos públicos: um estudo de caso do Aeroporto Presidente Itamar Franco

Costa, Laila Hauck 31 August 2017 (has links)
Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-01-16T13:49:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 lailahauckcosta.pdf: 5163228 bytes, checksum: bbae823dc62d479d390b55e6f4762718 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-01-23T14:08:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 lailahauckcosta.pdf: 5163228 bytes, checksum: bbae823dc62d479d390b55e6f4762718 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-23T14:08:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 lailahauckcosta.pdf: 5163228 bytes, checksum: bbae823dc62d479d390b55e6f4762718 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-31 / Perigo da fauna em aeródromos é o risco potencial de colisão de uma aeronave com espécies da fauna. Em todo o mundo, o índice de colisões desta natureza está aumentando. Assim, a presença incontrolada de animais nas imediações das pistas de pousos e decolagens é um dos riscos que as aeronaves enfrentam durante suas operações, principalmente durante a decolagem e aterrissagem, quando há maior possibilidade de colisões. Por este motivo, faz-se necessário implementar ações de controle e manejo da fauna que devem efetivar a redução ou, até mesmo, a interrupção de colisões em aeródromos. Para tanto, deve ser realizada uma avaliação do risco da fauna associada ao aeródromo, de forma a identificar espécies-problema e direcionar a aplicação de recursos para controle das espécies que representam maior risco para as operações do aeroporto. Considerando o maior risco de colisão de aeronaves com aves, o presente trabalho buscou avaliar o risco da avifauna para o Aeroporto Presidente Itamar Franco, um aeroporto estrategicamente localizado na Zona da Mata de Minas Gerais e que atende à região com voos regulares para passageiros e com infraestrutura para logística de carga aérea. Para identificação da avifauna associada a este aeroporto, foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico que resultou em 185 espécies registradas no ano de 2001, antes da construção do aeroporto, e um levantamento de campo com duração de doze meses, de 2015 a 2016, que teve como resultado o registro de 130 espécies. No mesmo período de 2015 a 2016 também foram identificados os potenciais focos de atração da avifauna tanto no aeroporto como na ASA, que são representados, principalmente, por fontes de alimento às aves. Além disso, através do sensoriamento remoto e da aplicação do índice de vegetação NDVI, foi avaliada a evolução temporal da fragmentação vegetal na ASA do Aeroporto Presidente Itamar Franco, que pode influenciar fortemente a diversidade e o comportamento das espécies de aves na região. Por último, com a aplicação de metodologias propostas na legislação brasileira, foram identificadas as espécies-problema, oito ao total, e, a partir destas informações, foram propostas ações que contribuirão para controle destas espécies. / Wildlife hazard at aerodromes is the potential risk of an aircraft colliding with species, soil or airspace. Across the world, the rate of collisions of this nature is increasing. Thus, the uncontrolled presence of animals in the vicinity of runways is one of the risks that aircraft face during their operations, especially during landing and take-off, when there is a greater possibility of collisions. Because of this, it is necessary to implement actions of wildlife control and management that should effect the reduction or even the interruption of collisions in aerodromes. In order to do so, a risk assessment of the fauna associated with the aerodrome must be carried out in order to identify problem species and to direct the application of resources to control the species that represent greater risk for the airport operations. Considering the greater risk of collision of aircraft with birds, the present work sought to evaluate the risk of avifauna to Presidente Itamar Franco Airport, a strategically located airportin the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais and that serves the region with scheduled flights for passengers and with infrastructure for air cargo logistics. In order to identify the avifauna associated with this airport, a bibliographic survey was carried out, which resulted in 185 species registered in the year 2001, before the construction of the airport, and work sessions on field lasting twelve months, from 2015 to 2016, which resulted in the registration of 130 species. In the same period from 2015 to 2016, potential sources of avifauna attraction were identified at both the airport and the ASA, which are mainly represented by food sources to birds. In addition, through remote sensing and the application of the NDVI vegetation index, the temporal evolution of plant fragmentation in the ASA of the Presidente Itamar Franco Airport was evaluated, which can strongly influence the diversity and behavior of the bird species in the region. Finally, with the application of methodologies proposed in the Brazilian legislation, the problem species were identified, a total of eight, and, from this information, actions were proposed that will contribute to the control of these species.
119

The signature of sea surface temperature anomalies on the dynamics of semiarid grassland productivity

Chen, Maosi, Parton, William J., Del Grosso, Stephen J., Hartman, Melannie D., Day, Ken A., Tucker, Compton J., Derner, Justin D., Knapp, Alan K., Smith, William K., Ojima, Dennis S., Gao, Wei 12 1900 (has links)
We used long-term observations of grassland aboveground net plant production (ANPP, 19392016), growing seasonal advanced very-high-resolution radiometer remote sensing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data (1982-2016), and simulations of actual evapotranspiration (1912-2016) to evaluate the impact of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on a semiarid grassland in northeastern Colorado. Because ANPP was well correlated (R-2 = 0.58) to cumulative April to July actual evapotranspiration (iAET) and cumulative growing season NDVI (iNDVI) was well correlated to iAET and ANPP (R-2 = 0.62 [quadratic model] and 0.59, respectively), we were able to quantify interactions between the long-duration (15-30 yr) PDO temperature cycles and annual-duration ENSO SST phases on ANPP. We found that during cold-phase PDOs, mean ANPP and iNDVI were lower, and the frequency of low ANPP years (drought years) was much higher, compared to warm-phase PDO years. In addition, ANPP, iNDVI, and iAET were highly variable during the cold-phase PDOs. When NINO-3 (ENSO index) values were negative, there was a higher frequency of droughts and lower frequency of wet years regardless of the PDO phase. PDO and NINO-3 anomalies reinforced each other resulting in a high frequency of above-normal iAET (52%) and low frequency of drought (20%) when both PDO and NINO-3 values were positive and the opposite pattern when both PDO and NINO-3 values were negative (24% frequency of above normal and 48% frequency of drought). Precipitation variability and subsequent ANPP dynamics in this grassland were dampened when PDO and NINO-3 SSTs had opposing signs. Thus, primary signatures of these SSTs in this semiarid grassland are (1) increased interannual variability in ANPP during cold-phase PDOs, (2) drought with low ANPP occurring in almost half of those years with negative values of PDO and NINO-3, and (3) high precipitation and ANPP common in years with positive PDO and NINO-3 values.
120

Spatio-temporal dynamics in land use and habit fragmentation in Sandveld, South Africa

Magidi, James Takawira January 2010 (has links)
Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / This research assessed landuse changes and trends in vegetation cover in the Sandveld, using remote sensing images. Landsat TM satellite images of 1990, 2004 and 2007 were classified using the maximum likelihood classifier into seven landuse classes, namely water, agriculture, fire patches, natural vegetation, wetlands, disturbed veld, and open sands. Change detection using remote sensing algorithms and landscape metrics was performed on these multi-temporal landuse maps using the Land Change Modeller and Patch Analyst respectively. Markov stochastic modelling techniques were used to predict future scenarios in landuse change based on the classified images and their transitional probabilities. MODIS NDVI multi-temporal datasets with a 16day temporal resolution were used to assess seasonal and annual trends in vegetation cover using time series analysis (PCA and time profiling).Results indicated that natural vegetation decreased from 46% to 31% of the total landscape between 1990 and 2007 and these biodiversity losses were attributed to an increasing agriculture footprint. Predicted future scenario based on transitional probabilities revealed a continual loss in natural habitat and increase in the agricultural footprint. Time series analysis results (principal components and temporal profiles) suggested that the landscape has a high degree of overall dynamic change with pronounced inter and intra-annual changes and there was an overall increase in greenness associated with increase in agricultural activity. The study concluded that without future conservation interventions natural habitats would continue to disappear, a condition that will impact heavily on biodiversity and significant waterdependent ecosystems such as wetlands. This has significant implications for the long-term provision of water from ground water reserves and for the overall sustainability of current agricultural practices. / South Africa

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