MEVNSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Vegetation is one of the most important renewable natural resources to play a role in the preservation of the environment and biodiversity. Various land use activities such as urbanization, population growth and other anthropogenic activities, as well as climate change have been some of the major drivers which alter vegetation cover and contribute to biodiversity loss. This research study uses remote sensing and Geographical Information System to quantify vegetation and land cover change in Makhado over a five-year period (2007 - 2012). This study used multi-temporal satellite image data to identify the dynamic pattern of vegetation change and the negative impacts it has on the environment. The research uses remote sensing techniques and GIS software to analyse data. In addition, satellite imageries were used to study the spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation. The results of the study show that settlement areas have been on a stable positive and mostly uncontrolled expansion from 17.73% of the study area in 2007 to 30.52% in 2012. Vegetation on the other hand, has been on a steady decline, from 10.65% in 2007 to 5.92% in 2012, as well as the ecosystems quality on which biodiversity depends for their existence and to a greater extent the climate conditions, with an increase in temperature, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. The monitoring of vegetation change can play a vital role in knowledge generation, best practices and as well as Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation which can be abated in the near future. This study recommends that the South Africa Government and public agencies concerned develop policies and strategies to bring about balanced, coordinated and sustainable development in the municipality and its district.

Beaver Creek is an impaired streams that is not supporting its designated use for recreation due to Escherichia coli (E.coli), and sediment. To address this problem, this thesis was divided into two studies. The first study explored changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC), and its impact on surface water quality. Changes in E.coli load between 1997-2001 and 2014-2018 were analyzed. Also, Landsat data of 2001, and 2018 were examined in Terrset 18.31. Mann-Whitney test only showed a significant reduction in E.coli for one site. Negative correlation was established between E.coli load, and Developed LULC, Forest LULC, and Cultivated LULC. The second study modelled discharge for Beaver Creek watershed using HEC-HMS. This study simulated discharge in an upstream sub-watershed of Beaver Creek, and the full Beaver Creek with a Nash-Sutcliffe of 0.007, and R2 0.20. Sub-basins with high discharge were identified for further examination for possible high sediment load.

Recently, products of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) integrated through SIFT algorithm and dense cloud matching using structure from motion has gained prominence with tree-level inventory maintenance in forestry. Various studies have been carried out by using UAS imagery to quantify and map forest structure of simple coniferous stands. However, most of the previous works employ methodologies that require manual inputs and lack of reproducibility to other forest systmes. Manual detection of trees and calculation of their attributes can be a time-consuming and complicated process which can be overcome with an automated technique applied by forest managers and/or landowners is highly desired to take full advantage of the readily available UAS remote sensing images. This study presents a methodology for automated measurements of tree height, crown area and crown diameter of hardwood species using UAS images. Different UAS platforms were employed to gather digital data of two hardwood plantations at Martell, Indiana. The resulting aerial images were used to generate the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the forest stand from which the Crown Height Model (CHM) was derived. The canopy height model can be inputted to the web platform deployed through shiny server (https://feilab.shinyapps.io/Crown/) to derive individual tree parameters automatically. The results show that this automated method provides a high accuracy in individual tree identification (F-score> 90%) and tree-level measurements (RMSEht<1.2m and RMSEcrn<1m). Moreover, tree-level parameter estimation for 4,600 trees were calculated in less than 30 minutes based on a post-processed DSM from UAS-SfM derived images with minimal manual inputs. This study demonstrates the feasibility of automated inventory and measure of tree-level attributes in hardwood plantations with UAS images.

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This thesis focuses on an early nineteenth-century homestead known as the Walker Place homestead at Spirit Hill Farm in northern Mississippi. The goal of this thesis is to conduct a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and shovel test survey to explore how changing landscapes simultaneously (re)create and destroy senses of place or Homescapes. Homescapes have received little attention in the field of archaeology and have not been applied to Euro-American Homescapes. I apply this theoretical construct in a novel way as a venture to further develop an avenue in archaeology to be collaborative and understand the past in a way that accurately reflects the realities of the past. I utilize historical records, oral histories, archaeological materials, and GPR to deepen our understanding of this site and to demonstrate the value of holistic archaeology and collaborating with the descendant community.