Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Geospatial modeling to identify the effects of anthropogenic processes on landscape pattern change and biodiversity

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This research used geospatial data to quantify biodiversity changes and landscape pattern change to track anthropogenic impacts of such changes at the Mouteh Wildlife Refuge (MWR), Isfahan, Iran. Satellite image duration of four decades, LandSat1-5, and IRS-P6 data were used to develop land cover classification maps for 1971, 1987, 1998, and 2011. The number and size of land cover patches, the degree of naturalness, and the diversity indices were calculated and compared for a 40-year period. The results showed an increasing concern with regard to unplanned human activities. Some improvements of the natural landscape also occurred in the core protected zone of the study area. The number and size of land cover patches, the degree of naturalness, and the diversity indices were calculated. Overall changes in natural land use between 1971 and 1998 at MWR showed that the number of patches for natural land use has increased, but it also showed a decrease in 2011. Similar changes were observed for seminatural land use. Within the artificial classes, the number and area of patches were higher and the largest patch occurred in 2011. The maximum variation of diversity is related to the year 2011. The results showed an increasing concern with regard to unplanned human activities. Some improvements of the natural landscape also occurred in the core protected zone of the study area. Remote sensing and geographic information system offers an important means of detecting and analyzing temporal changes occurring in our landscape.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Apan AA, Raine SR, Paterson MS (2002) Mapping and analysis of changes in the riparian landscape structure of the Lockyer Valley catchment, Queensland, Australia. Landsc Urban Plan 59(1):43–57. doi:10.1016/S0169-2046(01)00246-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amiri F, Rahdari V, Pradhan B, Tabatabaei T (2013) Multi-temporal landsat images based on eco-environmental change analysis in and around Chah Nimeh reservoir, Balochestan (Iran). Environ Earth Sci. doi: 10.1007/s12665-013-3004-9

  • Ayad YM (2005) Remote sensing and GIS in modeling visual landscape change: A case study of the northwestern arid coast of Egypt. Landsc Urban Plan 73(4):307–325. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2004.08.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bender O, Boehmer HJ, Jens D, Schumacher KP (2005) Using GIS to analyse long-term cultural landscape change in Southern Germany. Landsc Urban Plan 70(1–2):111–125. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2003.10.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop ID (2003) Assessment of visual qualities, impacts, and behaviours, in the landscape, by using measures of visibility. Environ Plan B 30(5):677–688. doi:10.1068/b12956

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson T, Sanchez-Azofeifa GA (1999) Satellite remote sensing of land use changes in and around San Jose, Costa Rica. Remote Sens Environ 70(3):247–256. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(99)00018-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crossman ND, Bryan BA, de Groot RS, Lin Y-P, Minang PA (2013) Land science contributions to ecosystem services. Curr Opin Environ. doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2013.06.003

  • de Barros Ferraz SF, Vettorazzi CA, Theobald DM, Ballester MVR (2005) Landscape dynamics of Amazonian deforestation between 1984 and 2002 in central Rondônia, Brazil: Assessment and future scenarios. Forest Ecol Manage 204(1):69–85. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2004.07.073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Val dela Fuente G, Atauri JA, de Lucio JV (2006) Relationship between landscape visual attributes and spatial pattern indices: A test study in Mediterranean-climate landscapes. Landsc Urban Plan 77(4):393–407. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.05.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farina A (2007) Principles and methods in landscape ecology: Towards a science of the landscape (landscape series), vol 3, 2nd edn. Springer, New York, 412 pp

  • Foley JA, DeFries R, Asner GP, Barford C, Bonan G, Carpenter SR, Chapin FS, Coe MT, Daily GC, Gibbs HK (2005) Global consequences of land use. Science 309(5734):570–574. doi:10.1126/science.1111772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foody G (2008) GIS: Biodiversity applications. Prog Phys Geogr 32(2):223–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin SE, Lavigne MB, Wulder MA, Stenhouse GB (2002) Change detection and landscape structure mapping using remote sensing. For Chron 78(5):618–625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilabert M, González-Piqueras J, Garcıa-Haro F, Meliá J (2002) A generalized soil-adjusted vegetation index. Remote Sens Environ 82(2):303–310. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(02)00048-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzog F, Lausch A, Muller E, Thulke H-H, Steinhardt U, Lehmann S (2001) Landscape metrics for assessment of landscape destruction and rehabilitation. Environ Manage 27(1):91–107. doi:10.1007/s002670010136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huete AR (1988) A soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). Remote Sens Environ 25(3):295–309. doi:10.1016/0034-4257(88)90106-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lausch A, Herzog F (2002) Applicability of landscape metrics for the monitoring of landscape change: Issues of scale, resolution and interpretability. Ecol Indic 2(1):3–15. doi:10.1016/S1470-160X(02)00053-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitsuda Y, Ito S (2011) A review of spatial-explicit factors determining spatial distribution of land use/land-use change. Landsc Ecol Eng 7(1):117–125. doi:10.1007/s11355-010-0113-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagendra H, Reyers B, Lavorel S (2013) Impacts of land change on biodiversity: Making the link to ecosystem services. Curr Opin Environ. doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2013.05.010

  • O’Neill RV, Krummel JR, Gardner RH, Sugihara G, Jackson B, DeAngelis DL, Milne BT, Turner MG, Zygmunt B, Christensen SW, Dale VH, Graham RL (1988) Indices of landscape pattern. Landsc Ecol 1(3):153–162. doi:10.1007/BF00162741

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qi J, Chehbouni A, Huete A, Kerr Y, Sorooshian S (1994) A modified soil adjusted vegetation index. Remote Sens Environ 48(2):119–126. doi:10.1016/0034-4257(94)90134-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quétier F, Lavorel S, Thuiller W, Davies I (2007) Plant-trait-based modeling assessment of ecosystem-service sensitivity to land-use change. Ecol Appl 17(8):2377–2386. doi:10.1890/06-0750.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rindfuss RR, Walsh SJ, Turner B, Fox J, Mishra V (2004) Developing a science of land change: Challenges and methodological issues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101(39):13976–13981. doi:10.1073/pnas.0401545101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romshoo SA, Rashid I (2014) Assessing the impacts of changing land cover and climate on Hokersar wetland in Indian Himalayas. Arab J Geosci 7:143–160. doi:10.1007/s12517-012-0761-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sader SA, Stone TA, Joyce AT (1990) Remote sensing of tropical forests: An overview of research and applications using non-photographic sensors. Photogramm Eng Remote Sens 56(10):1343–1351

    Google Scholar 

  • Salem B (2003) Application of GIS to biodiversity monitoring. J Arid Environ 54(1):91–114. doi:10.1006/jare.2001.0887

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satake A, Iwasa Y (2006) Coupled ecological and social dynamics in a forested landscape: The deviation of individual decisions from the social optimum. Ecol Res 21(3):370–379. doi:10.1007/s11284-006-0167-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shannon CE, Weaver W (1949) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana

  • Turner M, Ruscher CL (1988) Changes in landscape patterns in Georgia, USA. Landscape Ecol 1(4):241–251. doi:10.1007/BF00157696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner MG, Gardner RH, O’neill RV (2001) Landscape ecology in theory and practice: Pattern and process. Springer, New York, 401 pp

  • Turner MG (2005) Landscape ecology: What is the state of the science? Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 36:319–344. doi:10.2307/30033807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urban DL (2006) Landscape ecology. Encyclopedia of Environmetrics. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. doi:10.1002/9780470057339.val005

  • Usery EL, Finn MP, Scheidt DJ, Ruhl S, Beard T, Bearden M (2004) Geospatial data resampling and resolution effects on watershed modeling: A case study using the agricultural non-point source pollution model. J Geogr Syst 6(3):289–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu JJ (2013) Landscape ecology. In: Leemans R (ed) Ecological systems: Selected entries from the encyclopedia of sustainability science and technology. Springer, New York, pp 179–200

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Lan Y, Lacey R, Hoffmann W, Huang Y (2009) Analysis of vegetation indices derived from aerial multispectral and ground hyperspectral data. Int J Agric Biol Eng 2(3):33–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng D, Wallin D, Hao Z (1997) Rates and patterns of landscape change between 1972 and 1988 in the Changbai Mountain area of China and North Korea. Landsc Ecol 12(4):241–254. doi:10.1023/A:1007963324520

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Natural Resources, Zabol University, Zabol, Iran

    Saeideh maleki najafabadi & Vahid Rahdari

  2. Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-8311, Iran

    Alireza Soffianian

  3. Department of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr Branch, Bushehr, Iran

    Fazel Amiri & Tayebh Tabatabaei

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    Biswajeet Pradhan

Authors
  1. Saeideh maleki najafabadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alireza Soffianian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vahid Rahdari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fazel Amiri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Biswajeet Pradhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Tayebh Tabatabaei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fazel Amiri.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

maleki najafabadi, S., Soffianian, A., Rahdari, V. et al. Geospatial modeling to identify the effects of anthropogenic processes on landscape pattern change and biodiversity. Arab J Geosci 8, 1557–1569 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1297-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1297-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation