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A remote sensing-based approach to estimating montado canopy density using the FCD model: a contribution to identifying HNV farmlands in southern Portugal

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Abstract

Mapping the land-cover pattern dominated by complex Mediterranean silvo-pastoral systems with an accuracy that enables precise monitoring of changing tree-cover density is still an open challenge. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate the implementation and effectiveness of the Forest Canopy Density (FCD) model in producing a remote sensing-based and detailed map of montado canopy density over a large territory in southern Portugal. This map will make a fundamental contribution to accurately identifying and assessing High Nature Value farmland in montado areas. The results reveal that the FCD model is an effective approach to estimating the density classes of montado canopy (overall accuracy = 78.0 %, kappa value = 0.71). The study also shows that the FCD approach generated good user’s and producer’s accuracies for the three montado canopy-density classes. Globally, the results obtained show that biophysical indices such as the advanced vegetation index, the bare soil index, the shadow index and the thermal index are suitable for estimating and mapping montado canopy-density classes. These results constitute the first remote sensing-based product for mapping montado canopy density that has been developed using the FCD model. This research clearly demonstrates that this approach can be used in the context of Mediterranean agro-forestry systems.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by FEDER as part of the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors—COMPETE and also received National Funding from the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology as part of the PEst-C/AGR/UI0115/2011 strategic project. Research associated with this paper was also funded by the FCT as part of the POPH-QREN-Tipologia 4.1 Programme: scholarship SFRH/BD/77897/2011 was awarded to S. Godinho. This research has also been developed on the behalf of a Post-Doctoral (M3.1.7/F/005/2011) Research Project lead by A. Gil and supported by the FRC—Regional Fund for Science (Azorean Regional Government). N. Guiomar was also funded by the Doctoral FCT scholarship with the reference SFRH/BD/35848/2007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landscape Dynamics and Social Processes Research Group, Departamento de Paisagem, Ambiente e Ordenamento, ICAAM - Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Évora, Ap. 94, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal

    Sérgio Godinho, Nuno Guiomar & Teresa Pinto-Correia

  2. CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (Research Group in Island Environmental Risks & Society); Azorean Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of the Azores, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

    Artur Gil

  3. Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, e-GEO, Research Centre for Geography and Regional Planning, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Nuno Neves

  4. Departamento de Paisagem, Ambiente e Ordenamento, Universidade de Évora, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal

    Nuno Neves

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  1. Sérgio Godinho
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  2. Artur Gil
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  3. Nuno Guiomar
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  5. Teresa Pinto-Correia
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Correspondence to Sérgio Godinho.

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Godinho, S., Gil, A., Guiomar, N. et al. A remote sensing-based approach to estimating montado canopy density using the FCD model: a contribution to identifying HNV farmlands in southern Portugal. Agroforest Syst 90, 23–34 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-014-9769-3

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