This article details the techniques and technologies used to determine the various types and levels of foliage coverage. This study focused primarily on the effects of global climate change and the resulting impact on degradation studies. Basic work was conducted in order to determine what natural and man made sources result in resource depletion. Once gathered this data was then rendered into a vegetation map highlighting the various floral levels present.
The results showed that distinctions can be readily made between the natural denser growth regions and the dry savanna typically present. The use of buffer analysis, a GIS technique, is used to determine the effect of herbivory upon local flora. Nearly all regions of heavy degradation were found to be within 2 km of a village.
Over exploitation of bush product harvesting and subsistence goat grazing are responsible for village degradation, while cattle grazing is the primary cause of woody weed developments. While the causes of degradation can be identified the presence of severe poverty and population explosions cause significant strain on local resources.
Ringrose, S. (1996). The use of integrated remotely sensed and gis data to determine causes of vegetation cover change in southern botswana. Applied Geography,16(3), 226-242. Retrieved from http://www.chss.iup.edu/rhoch/ClassPages/Thought and Philosophy/Readings/Week8_Applied/Ringrose et al.pdf
Since this article was published almost 18 years ago, it would be interesting to see what this particular area of Botswana looks like today. I would assume much worse than the graph presented above but there could also be other factors such as a particular dry season or other natural ailments that could effect the data.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article with how the herbivores within the environment have a direct affect on the forest and smaller vegetation on the savanna. I also would like to see how this map may be different today, and maybe if the decrease in herbivores in similar areas affects the vegetation.
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