Landscape ecological planning through a multi-scale characterization of pattern: studies in the Western Ghats,South India |
| |
Authors: | Nagendra Harini Utkarsh Ghate |
| |
Institution: | (1) Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India;(2) Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change, Indiana University, 408 N. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A.;(3) RANWA, C-26/1, Ketan Heights, Kothrud, Pune, India |
| |
Abstract: | This article analyzes landscape pattern in the WesternGhats mountain ranges in south-western India at two scales,comparing small-scale, detailed studies of landscapepattern, with broader, regional-scale assessments of theWestern Ghats. Due in large part to their inaccessibility,relatively little is known about the landscapes of thisbiodiverse region, which also supports some of the highestpopulation densities in the world. A broad-scale NDVI-basedIRS 1B satellite image classification is used to analyzenorth-south and east-west trends across the entire WesternGhats and western coast of India, an area over 170 000 km2. Northern and eastern landscapes are morefragmented compared to the southern and western slopes.Western slopes also have greater landscape diversity withland cover types more interspersed compared to the easternslopes. These differences can be related to north-south andeast-west variations in rainfall and plant distribution. Data from thirteen landscapes 10–50 km2 in area, arefurther utilized to analyze trends in landscape pattern, anddescribe the geographical distribution of major natural andmanaged ecotope types. At this scale, very high levels ofintra-ecotope type variability in landscape pattern areencountered for all land cover types. Results at these twoscales are integrated to suggest a hierarchical stratifiedapproach for monitoring land cover and biodiversity in the region. |
| |
Keywords: | biodiversity fragmentation land cover change remote sensing satellite imagery western ghats |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|