Taube CA (Queensland, Department of Natural Resources, Climate Impacts and Grazing Systems)
0957739400
Land (Grass and Pasture); Vegetation; Native Vegetation; Ground Cover; Monitoring; Methods; Remote Sensing; Satellite Imagery; Data Handling; Maps and Mapping; Rangelands; Land Management
Ground cover is a key indicator of rangeland condition, but efficient methods to monitor cover over the various land systems of Australia's northern rangelands are still to be fully developed. The potential for using Landsat TM data for monitoring and mapping trends in groundcover is being assessed in northern Queensland. Preliminary results using ten commonly applied vegetation and cover indices suggest the approach could be a valuable monitoring and modelling tool. However, its ultimate success will depend on whether the prototype method can be applied to state and nation wide monitoring. Further fieldwork will be required to calibrate and validate different geographic regions, and the development of multi- temporal and spatial indices (A).
