RSRU – Vegetation monitoring in Kruger National Park

   

The objective of this research is to monitor herbaceous (grass) biomass production in Kruger National Park (KNP). Data on end-of-season herbaceous biomass, have been collected at approximately 533 locations in KNP since 1989, providing the opportunity to create spatial maps of herbaceous biomass production using remote sensing data (AVHRR and MODIS). These dynamic maps of herbaceous biomass are essential inputs to fire and wildlife management models.

The spatio-temporal relationships between the in-situ biomass measurements and 1km AVHRR data were previously demonstrated (Wessels et al 2006). The current study conducted by Patrick Dwyer of WITS (Animal Plant and Environmental Sciences) strives to produce maps predicting end of growth season standing herbaceous biomass using 250m MODIS EVI data. A challenge is to address the severe mismatch in scale between the field sample plots (50m x 60m) and the MODIS data (250m X 250m).

A related project in KNP is using hyper-spectral and Lidar data of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory to characterise vegetation structure and landscape function along a land use gradient, from the national park, across private game reserves to the communal rangelands.
Read the CAO Science Scope article by J van Aardt for more information