Topographic and spectral data resolve land cover misclassification to distinguish and monitor wetlands in western Uganda |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada;2. Department of Geography, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada;3. Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada;4. Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, 114 James Hall, 56 College Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA;5. Environmental Studies Program, UCB 397, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0397, USA;1. Laboratorio de Ecocardiografia de Estrés, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), A Coruña, España;2. Servicio de Cardiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), A Coruña, España;1. University of Warmia and Mazury, Department of Animal Genetics, Olsztyn, Poland;2. University of Warmia and Mazury, Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Olsztyn, Poland;1. Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus;2. Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Greece;3. Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus;1. Department of Environmental Health Science and Technology, Jimma University, P.O. Box 378, Jimma, Ethiopia;2. Department of Biology, Debre Birhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Birhan, Ethiopia;3. Plant Science and Nature Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlann 2, B-1050, Belgium;4. Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;1. Land Economy, Environment & Society, Scotland''s Rural College (SRUC), West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, Scotland, United Kingdom;2. Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Group, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
Wetlands provide vital wildlife habitat and ecosystem services, but changes in human land use has made them one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Although wetlands are generally protected by law, growing human populations increasingly drain and clear them to provide agricultural land, especially in tropical Africa. Managing and conserving wetlands requires accurately monitoring their spatial and temporal extent, often using remote sensing, but distinguishing wetlands from other land covers can be difficult. Here, we report on a method to separate wetlands dominated by papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.) from spectrally similar grasslands dominated by elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.). We tested whether topographic, spectral, and temperature data improved land cover classification within and around Kibale National Park, a priority conservation area in densely populated western Uganda. Slope and reflectance in the mid-IR range best separated the combined papyrus/elephant grass pixels (average accuracy: 86%). Using a time series of satellite images, we quantified changes in six land covers across the landscape from 1984 to 2008 (papyrus, elephant grass, forest, mixed agriculture/bare soil/short grass, mixed tea/shrub, and water). We found stark differences in how land cover changed inside versus outside the park, with particularly sharp changes next to the park boundary. Inside the park, changes in land cover varied with location and management history: elephant grass areas decreased by 52% through forest regeneration but there was no net difference in papyrus areas. Outside the park, elephant grass and papyrus areas decreased by 61% and 39%, mostly converted to agriculture. Our method and findings are particularly relevant in light of social, biotic, and abiotic changes in western Uganda, as interactions between climate change, infectious disease, and changing human population demographics and distribution are predicted to intensify existing agricultural pressure on natural areas. |
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| Keywords: | Classification Kibale National Park Landsat Mixed pixel Papyrus Uganda |
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