Land Cover/Use Analysis of Prespa National Park, Greece

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Karteris ◽  
Myrto Pyrovetsi
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Wet Meadows ◽  
Waterbird Species ◽  
Irrigation Drainage

Prespa National Park in Greece is an important breeding-area for rare and endangered waterbird species, but people living within the Park and using its resources create serious conservation problems. An environmental management plan which will regulate mainly the human activities within the Park is therefore necessary. Such a plan should be based on a land cover/use analysis of the area, for which much of the necessary information, in the form of a thematic map, has been collected by interpreting blackand-white aerial photographs. The procedure involved the development of a classification system, transferring the interpreted data onto a base-map, field-checking the results, and tabulating the area measurements with the pertinent errors.Of the total Park area (25,690 ha), 66.5% is classified as terrestrial (forestland, rangeland, agricultural land whether irrigated, non-irrigated, or abandoned, wet meadows/marshland, barren and eroded land, and urban areas), and the remainder as aquatic (water, reedbeds). The most extensive category in the Park is forestland, much of which is seriously degraded. Rangeland provides forage for sheep and goats, being also degraded owing to uncontrolled grazing. Wet meadows/marshland are invaluable as waterbird breeding and feeding habitats, but the present use of this category as grazing fields, and its proximity to agricultural land and to the existing irrigation/drainage system, have all had negative impacts on the resource. Irrigated land is almost half of the cultivated area.The abandoned agricultural land is interspersed within the forestland and is a result of the human population decline in the area, while barren and eroded land has resulted from prolonged land misuse. Twelve old villages are distributed over the Park, being visually unobtrusive. Lake Mikri Prespa is the main water-body and covers almost the entire nucleus of the Park. Extensive reedbeds are found along the lakeshores, which are the main breeding habitats of certain waterbirds. As land cover/use analysis of the Park has shown much serious environmental degradation, conservation measures should be undertaken urgently.

scholarly journals Spatial-Temporal Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Urban Areas Using Remote Sensing Images and GIS Analysis: The Case Study of Opole, Poland

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Barbara Wiatkowska ◽  
Janusz Słodczyk ◽  
Aleksandra Stokowska
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Management Procedures

Urban expansion is a dynamic and complex phenomenon, often involving adverse changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This paper uses satellite imagery from Landsat-5 TM, Landsat-8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and GIS technology to analyse LULC changes in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The research was carried out in Opole, the capital of the Opole Agglomeration (south-western Poland). Maps produced from supervised spectral classification of remote sensing data revealed that in 20 years, built-up areas have increased about 40%, mainly at the expense of agricultural land. Detection of changes in the spatial pattern of LULC showed that the highest average rate of increase in built-up areas occurred in the zone 3–6 km (11.7%) and above 6 km (10.4%) from the centre of Opole. The analysis of the increase of built-up land in relation to the decreasing population (SDG 11.3.1) has confirmed the ongoing process of demographic suburbanisation. The paper shows that satellite imagery and GIS can be a valuable tool for local authorities and planners to monitor the scale of urbanisation processes for the purpose of adapting space management procedures to the changing environment.

scholarly journals Spatially explicit statistical modeling of random and systematic land cover transitions in the main grassland plain of Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiros Tsegay Deribew
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Statistical Modeling ◽  
National Park ◽  
Spatial Extent ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Strong Signal ◽  
The Past

AbstractThe main grassland plain of Nech Sar National Park (NSNP) is a federally managed protected area in Ethiopia designated to protect endemic and endangered species. However, like other national parks in Ethiopia, the park has experienced significant land cover change over the past few decades. Indeed, the livelihoods of local populations in such developing countries are entirely dependent upon natural resources and, as a result, both direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures have been placed on natural parks. While previous research has looked at land cover change in the region, these studies have not been spatially explicit and, as a result, knowledge gaps in identifying systematic transitions continue to exist. This study seeks to quantify the spatial extent and land cover change trends in NSNP, identify the strong signal transitions, and identify and quantify the location of determinants of change. To this end, the author classifies panchromatic aerial photographs in 1986, multispectral SPOT imagery in 2005, and Sentinel imagery in 2019. The spatial extent and trends of land cover change analysis between these time periods were conducted. The strong signal transitions were systematically identified and quantified. Then, the basic driving forces of the change were identified. The locations of these transitions were also identified and quantified using the spatially explicit statistical model. The analysis revealed that over the past three decades (1986–2019), nearly 52% of the study area experienced clear landscape change, out of which the net change and swap change attributed to 39% and 13%, respectively. The conversion of woody vegetation to grassland (~ 5%), subsequently grassland-to-open-overgrazed land (28.26%), and restoration of woody vegetation (0.76%) and grassland (0.72%) from riverine forest and open-overgrazed land, respectively, were found to be the fully systematic transitions whereas the rest transitions were recorded either partly systematic or random transitions. The location of these most systematic land cover transitions identified through the spatially explicit statistical modeling showed drivers due to biophysical conditions, accessibility, and urban/market expansions, coupled with successive government policies for biodiversity management, geo-politics, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. These findings provide important insights into biodiversity loss, land degradation, and ecosystem disruption. Therefore, the model for predicted probability generally suggests a 0.75 km and 0.72 km buffers which are likely to protect forest and grassland from conversion to grassland and open-overgrazed land, respectively.

scholarly journals Relief influence on the spatial distribution of the Atlantic Forest cover on the Ibiúna Plateau, SP

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
WG. Silva ◽  
JP. Metzger ◽  
S. Simões ◽  
C Simonetti
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Slope Orientation

Several studies suggest that, on a large scale, relief conditions influence the Atlantic Forest cover. The aim of this work was to explore these relationships on a local scale, in Caucaia do Alto, on the Ibiúna Plateau. Within an area of about 78 km², the distribution of forest cover, divided into two successional stages, was associated with relief attribute data (slope, slope orientation and altitude). The mapping of the vegetation was based on the interpretation of stereoscopic pairs of aerial photographs, from April 2000, on a scale of 1:10,000, while the relief attributes were obtained by geoprocessing from digitalized topographic maps on a scale of 1:10,000. Statistical analyses, based on qui-square tests, revealed that there was a more extensive forest cover, irrespective of the successional stage, in steeper areas (>10 degrees) located at higher altitudes (>923 m), but no influence of the slope orientation. There was no sign of direct influence of relief on the forest cover through environmental gradients that might have contributed to the forest regeneration. Likewise, there was no evidence that these results could have been influenced by the distance from roads or urban areas or with respect to permanent preservation areas. Relief seems to influence the forest cover indirectly, since agricultural land use is preferably made in flatter and lower areas. These results suggest a general distribution pattern of the forest remnants, independent of the scale of study, on which relief indirectly has a strong influence, since it determines human occupation.

scholarly journals Landscape Change in Mediterranean Farmlands: Impacts of Land Abandonment on Cultivation Terraces in Portofino (Italy) and Lesvos (Greece)

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Van Der Sluis ◽  
Thanasis Kizos ◽  
Bas Pedroli
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Landscape Change ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mediterranean Landscapes ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract The Mediterranean landscape has been rapidly changing over the past decades. Many regions saw a population decline, which resulted in changing land use, abandonment of marginal lands and colonisation by shrubs and tree species. Typical features like farming terraces, olive yards, and upland grasslands have been decreasing over the past 50 years. This results in a declining biodiversity and loss of traditional Mediterranean landscapes. In this paper we assess the landscape changes that took place in two areas, in Portofino, on the Italian Riviera, and Lesvos, a Greek island near the Turkish coast. We compared land use maps and aerial photographs over the past decades to quantify the land use changes in these two areas. Additional information was acquired from farmers’ interviews and literature. We found that changes are related to societal changes in the appraisal of agricultural land uses, and to the urban expansion, tourism and recreation. These diffuse processes are a result of policy measures and autonomous societal transformations. This is confirmed by the results of two interview surveys: between 1999 and 2012 agricultural land use in Portofino regional Park and buffer zone further marginalised, and the associated landscape changes are perceived as a substantial loss of character and identity. This problem is emblematic for large parts of the Mediterranean. Comparing different landscapes reveal similar processes of landscape change, which can be related to similar driving forces. Based on such comparisons, we learn about possible trajectories of change, and ask for a comprehensive approach to land use management.

Cd, Cr and Ni in drainage water from agricultural soils. Case study of South Alicante.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Navarro-Pedreño ◽  
María Belén Almendro-Candel ◽  
Ignacio Meléndez-Pastor ◽  
Ignacio Gómez-Lucas ◽  
Manuel M. Jordán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Metal Pollution ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Drainage Channels

<p>Mediterranean coastal areas have been cultivated for long time. Wetlands areas situated near to the coast have been drainaged by using drainage channels. Heavy metals can be transferred from soils to the channels under agricultural management practices, especially under flood and furrow irrigation (the most important in the area studied). Anthropogenic inputs, including excessive use of agrochemicals and manure, in agricultural soils contribute to an increase of the content of some toxic heavy metals [1].</p><p>The agricultural area situated in the South of the province of Alicante has an important drainage system (avoiding to be a coastal wetland), which more than a thousand kilometers that allow the cultivation on calcareous soils (mainly Fluvisols). However, land uses have been changing and an important transformation of rural areas to residential areas have been occurred in the recent decades.</p><p>Under this situation, the presence of Cd, Cr and Ni in drainaged waters derived from infiltration from agricultural soils, and runoff from some urban areas, have been checked in the main drainage system (13 drainage channels) in order to detect possible influences of soil management in metal pollution. Water samples were taking along the channels in three to ten points of each channel, depending on the length, and metals were analyzed following standard methods [2]. At the same time, the land cover has been analyzed by using the last data from National Aerial Orthophotography Plan (available from the National Center of Geographical Information, Spain).</p><p>The most important result obtained was that the presence of Cd in the waters was under the limit of detection of 0.1 μg/L. This result reflected the absence of pollution sources of this metal from soils to these drainage channels.</p><p>Moreover, in the case of Cr, the values obtained were even below the reference values ​​for drinking water [3]. However, the major concentrations of this metal were between 6 to μg/L in only 4 channels. Ni, whose concentrations were lower than those for Cr, has values under 7 μg/L. Heavy metal pollution, at least in the elements analyzed, does not seem to be a serious problem in terms of the quality of these waters.</p><p>Although many land cover changes have occurred, most of the soils are dedicated to agriculture. On the other hand, no clear effects related to the proximity of urban areas to the drainage channels have been observed.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>Heavy metals; irrigation; land cover changes, pollution, wetlands.</p><p> </p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>[1] Navarro-Pedreño, J.; Almendro-Candel, M.B.; Gómez, I.; Jordan, MM; Bech, J.; Zorpas, A.A. (2018). Trace metal content and availability of essential metals in agricultural soils of Alicante (Spain). Sustainability 10, 4534.</p><p> [2] APHA, AWWA, WEF (2012). Standard Methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Ed. American Public Health Association, Washington.</p><p>[3] Real Decreto 314/2016, de 29 de julio, por el que se modifican el Real Decreto 140/2003, de 7 de febrero, por el que se establecen los criterios sanitarios de la calidad del agua de consumo humano.</p>

scholarly journals Space use by resident and transient coyotes in an urban–rural landscape mosaic

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Numi Mitchell ◽  
Michael W. Strohbach ◽  
Ralph Pratt ◽  
Wendy C. Finn ◽  
Eric G. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Scale Space ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Mixed Effect

Context Coyotes (Canis latrans) have adapted successfully to human landscape alteration in the past 150 years and in recent decades have successfully moved into urban areas. While this causes concern about human–wildlife conflicts, research also suggests that coyotes tend to avoid humans and human activity in urban areas. For improving management, a better understanding of space use by coyotes is needed. Aims To study how coyote social behaviour influences fine-scale space use in urban areas we present results from an extensive, multi-year GPS telemetry study (2005–13). The study area in coastal Rhode Island is a mosaic of rural, suburban and urban land use and coyotes have only recently arrived. Methods We differentiated between two social classes: residents (individuals that have established a territory; n = 24) and transients (individuals that have no territory; n = 7). Space use was analysed using mixed effect models and detailed land-cover data. Key results Coyotes tended to select for agricultural and densely vegetated land cover and against land used for housing and commerce. Pasture and cropland were preferred by residents and avoided by transients, especially at night, indicating the role of agricultural land as prime foraging habitat. Both groups selected densely vegetated land cover for daytime shelter sites. Transients selected for densely vegetated land cover both day and night, indicating use for both shelter and foraging. Resident coyotes avoided high- and medium-density housing more than transients. Conclusions We interpret land-cover selection by resident coyotes as indicative of coyote habitat preference, while transients more often occupied marginal habitats that probably do not reflect their preferences. Differences in land cover selection between residents and transients suggest that transients have a corollary strategy to avoid residents. Implications With cover and food appearing to be important drivers of space use, coexistence strategies can build on controlling food resources as well as on the tendency of coyotes to avoid humans. Nevertheless, transients, having the need to avoid territorial resident coyotes as well, show a reduced aversion to land cover with high human activity, creating a higher potential for human–wildlife conflicts.

scholarly journals Global assessment of rural–urban interface in Portugal related to land cover changes

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1647-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marj Tonini ◽  
Joana Parente ◽  
Mário G. Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Cover Class

Abstract. The rural–urban interface (RUI), known as the area where structures and other human developments meet or intermingle with wildland and rural area, is at present a central focus of wildfire policy and its mapping is crucial for wildfire management. In the Mediterranean Basin, humans cause the vast majority of fires and fire risk is particularly high in the proximity of infrastructure and of rural/wildland areas. RUI's extension changes under the pressure of environmental and anthropogenic factors, such as urban growth, fragmentation of rural areas, deforestation and, more in general, land use/land cover change (LULCC). As with other Mediterranean countries, Portugal has experienced significant LULCC in the last decades in response to migration, rural abandonment, ageing of population and trends associated with the high socioeconomic development. In the present study, we analyzed the LULCC occurring in this country in the 1990–2012 period with the main objective of investigating how these changes affected RUI's evolution. Moreover, we performed a qualitative and quantitative characterization of burnt areas within the RUI in relation to the observed changes. Obtained results disclose important LULCC and reveal their spatial distribution, which is far from uniform within the territory. A significant increase in artificial surfaces was registered near the main metropolitan communities of the northwest, littoral-central and southern regions, whilst the abandonment of agricultural land near the inland urban areas led to an increase in uncultivated semi-natural and forest areas. Within agricultural areas, heterogeneous patches suffered the greatest changes and were the main contributors to the increase in urban areas; moreover, this land cover class, together with forests, was highly affected by wildfires in terms of burnt area. Finally, from this analysis and during the investigated period, it appears that RUI increased in Portugal by more than two-thirds, while the total burnt area decreased by one-third; nevertheless, burnt area within RUI doubled, which emphasizes the significance of RUI monitoring for land and fire managers.

scholarly journals Farmers’ Income and Land Cover Change at Lore Lindu National Park in Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Rustam Abdul Rauf ◽  
Adam Malik ◽  
Isrun . ◽  
Golar . ◽  
Alimudin Laapo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
National Park ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Lore Lindu National Park

Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi is one of the protected areas. Although it is protected, many of its areas are experiencing pressure and disruption by human activities. The purpose of this research was to know the relationship between farmers’ income and land cover change at Lore Lindu National Park. The research method was a participatory survey. Variables of incomes were sourced from farming and outside farming (forests). Data of land cover change were obtained using imagery in 2012, 2014 and 2016. The result of research is the average of farming income of IDR 1,387,077 (cocoa farming) and non-farm income of IDR 854,819 (forest honey, resin). In the last five years (2012-2016), the primary forest area decreased by 902.37 ha, while the secondary forest has shown an increase of 2,233.61 ha. The trend of land cover change was drastic, with change in the secondary dry land forest area from 6.9 ha (in 2012) to 2,240.5 ha (in 2016). The increased secondary forest area and the secondary forests have been converted into agricultural land and mixed gardens.

scholarly journals Assessing the extent of land-use change around important bat-inhabited caves

BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariëtte Pretorius ◽  
Wanda Markotter ◽  
Mark Keith
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Urban Settlements

Abstract Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact. Results Our study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost sites (including maternity, hibernacula and co-roosts), distances to urban settlements and assessed the current protection levels of roost localities. We detected an overall 4% decrease in natural woody vegetation (trees) within 5 km buffer zones of all roost sites, with a 10% decrease detected at co-roost sites alone. Agricultural land cover increased the most near roost sites, followed by plantations and urban land-cover. Overall, roosts were located 4.15 ± 0.91 km from urban settlements in 2018, the distances decreasing as urban areas expand. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute Ecosystem Threat Status assessment, 72% of roosts fall outside of well-protected ecosystems. Conclusions The current lack of regulatory protection of cavernicolous bats and their roosts, increasing anthropogenic expansions and proximity to human settlements raises concerns about increased human-bat contact. Furthermore, uncontrolled roost visitation and vandalism are increasing, contributing to bat health risks and population declines, though the extent of roosts affected is yet to be quantified. In an era where pandemics are predicted to become more frequent and severe due to land-use change, our research is an urgent call for the formal protection of bat-inhabited caves to safeguard both bats and humans.

scholarly journals Monitoring and Projecting Land Use/Land Cover Changes of Eleven Large Deltaic Areas in Greece from 1945 Onwards

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Anastasia Krina ◽  
Fotios Xystrakis ◽  
Kostas Karantininis ◽  
Nikos Koutsias
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Economic Developments

Wetlands are areas of high biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services of high value. However, they are under constant threat from intense anthropogenic pressures, mainly agriculture intensification, urbanization, pollution, and climate change. The temporal and spatial patterns of land use/land cover (LULC) changes within eleven large wetlands in Greece were analyzed based on thematic maps generated from aerial orthophotos taken in 1945, 1975, and 2007. Socio-economic developments and the consequent need for more arable land and utilization of water resources are among the factors that mainly determine their evolution. In 2007, LULC classes related to wetland vegetation were reduced to one third as compared to 1945 and they were mainly replaced with croplands and urban infrastructures. Each of the different sub-periods that was considered (1945–1975 and 1975–2007) was distinguished by characteristic patterns of change. Agricultural land increased up to 42% from 1945 to 1975 and became the dominant LULC class in all deltaic areas but Evros. A considerable stability was observed for the period 1975–2007 for all LULC classed but it is remarkable the extent of urban areas that doubled. There is a tendency of landscape simplification and homogenization among the deltaic areas and the output of Markov chain analysis indicates that future composition of deltaic landscapes will be similar to the current one if the main driving forces remain constant. Changes in LULC composition and structure are also combined with coastal erosion in all deltaic areas. This is attributed to the modification of sedimentary deposits due to dam construction. The results summarize the change trajectories of the major deltaic areas in Greece from 1945 to 2007 thus offering a great outlook of changes that allows managers to understand how policies and socio-economic requirements affect the deltaic ecosystems and what decisions should be made to protect and enhance them.

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