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Mapping and monitoring land degradation risks in the Western Brazilian Amazon using multitemporal Landsat TM/ETM+ images
Author(s) -
Lu D.,
Batistella M.,
Mausel P.,
Moran E.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.762
Subject(s) - land degradation , deforestation (computer science) , amazon rainforest , land use , land cover , environmental science , remote sensing , vegetation (pathology) , soil retrogression and degradation , forest degradation , agricultural land , environmental degradation , geography , agroforestry , soil science , ecology , soil water , medicine , pathology , computer science , biology , programming language
Mapping and monitoring land degradation in areas under human‐induced stresses have become urgent tasks in remote sensing whose importance has not yet been fully appreciated. In this study, a surface cover index (SCI) is developed to evaluate and map potential land degradation risks associated with deforestation and accompanying soil erosion in a Western Brazilian Amazon rural settlement study area. The relationships between land‐use and land‐cover (LULC) types and land degradation risks as well as the impacts of LULC change on land degradation are examined. This research indicates that remotely sensed data can be effectively used for identification and mapping of land degradation risks and monitoring of land degradation changes in the study area. Sites covered by mature forest and advanced successional forests have low land degradation risk potential, while some types of initial successional forests, agroforestry/perennial agriculture and pasture have higher risk potential. Deforestation and associated soil erosion are major causes leading to land degradation, while vegetation regrowth reduces such problems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.