Figure 1.
The site (a) is located in eastern Paraguay at a private forest reserve, Reserva Morombi. Forest patches (b) are shown in dark, surrounded by a heterogeneous matrix, in the grey-scale Landsat TM image. Comparison of IKONOS- and Landsat-based classification extended across 43,200 ha, and was based on subsampling (c) using 432 1 km×1 km grid cells.
Table 1.
Description of land cover classes delineated in this study.
Figure 2.
Comparison of imagery performance.
IKONOS and Landsat imagery classifications significantly differed in (a) percent land cover and (b) total number of patches for the six land cover classes found in the study area in Paraguay.
Figure 3.
Patch metrics varied with imagery type.
IKONOS and Landsat classifications significantly differed in patch metrics for all forest patches and those ≥0.5 ha in (a) patch area; (b) patch edge; (c) shape index; (d) perimeter-area ratio; (e) mean distance from patch centroid to all other patch centroids; and (f) distance from patch centroid to the closest patch’s centroid. Asterisks (*, **, ***) indicate significant differences at p≤0.05, 0.01, 0.001, respectively; with df = 52,168 and df = 464 for all t-tests using data from all patches and from patches ≥0.50 ha, respectively. Error bars represent one standard error.
Figure 4.
Detection of linear forest features varied between IKONOS (4 m resolution) and Landsat (30 m resolution).
IKONOS correctly identified more narrow forest fragments than Landsat (a) as evident in one example from the study area with (b) IKONOS preserving small forest fragments and forested corridors better than (c) Landsat.
Figure 5.
Limited use of high-resolution imagery for conservation.
Out of 1064 articles in Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, and Biotropica (2011–2012), 157 utilized primary satellite imagery and analyzed land cover predominantly based on (a) satellite imagery of 30 m resolution and (b) quantified geographic areas ≤1000 km2 (equivalent to ≤100,000 ha).
Table 2.
Characteristics of satellites and their sensors used in studies classifying land cover in manuscripts published in Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, and Biotropica 2011–2012.