Forest Cover, Condition, and Ecology in Human-Impacted Forests, South-Eastern Madagascar

摘要: The littoral forests of south-eastern Madagascar are a national conservation priority due to high degrees biodiversity, but face pressures from regular human use and future mining operation. A landscape scale as­sessment deforestation patterns, forest condition composition re­maining stands is important for understanding the nature distribution could act inform land management identify priorities throughout area. In light these is­sues, aims this study were threefold: document patterns loss at multiple spatial temporal scales; map structure across landscape; assess abundance diversity tree species valuable both humans conservationists. methods applied include satellite remote sensing applications ground­based ecological surveys. We demonstrate three results: first, for­est spatially temporally variable; second, basal area, an indicator condition, can be estimated using multi-spectral data, artificial neural networks ground survey data; third, possess populations impor­tance livelihoods, despite by lo­cal people. perspective, combined with local environmental context, crucial na­ture impact on resources, and, thus, determin­ing optimal possibilities.