Integrating remote sensing and local ecological knowledge to monitor rangeland dynamics

Eddy, Ian M. S.; Gergel, Sarah E.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Henebry, Geoffrey M.; Levine, Jordan; Zerriffi, Hisham; Shibkov, Evgenii

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.06.033

Cited by 60 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Changes in vegetation community composition at higher elevations occur as cold-adapted species decrease in abundance while warm-adapted species increase in a process called thermophilization (Gottfried et al 2012). Furthermore, pasture degradation, including the spread of weedy and unpalatable species, is already a concern in the highland pastures of Kyrgyzstan (Hoppe et al 2016, Eddy et al 2017. A logical next step is to link snow cover seasonality-timing of snow onset, snowmelt, and duration of snow season-with subsequent land surface phenology to detect moisture-induced vegetation stress in highland pastures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing snow seasonality in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan

Tomaszewska

Henebry

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Few studies have examined changing snow seasonality in Central Asia. Here, we analyzed changes in the seasonality of snow cover across Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) over 14 years from 2002/03-2015/16 using the most recent version (v006) of MODIS Terra and Aqua 8 day snow cover composites (MOD10A2/MYD10A2). We focused on three metrics of snow seasonality-first date of snow, last date of snow, and duration of snow season-and used nonparametric trends tests to assess the significance and direction of trends. We evaluated trends at three administration scales and across elevation. We used two techniques to assure that our identification of significant trends was not resulting from random spatial variation. First, we report only significant trends (positive or negative) that are at least twice as prevalent as the converse trends. Second, we use a two-stage analysis at the national scale to identify asymmetric directional changes in snow seasonality. Results show that more territory has been experiencing earlier onset of snow than earlier snowmelt, and roughly equivalent areas have been experiencing longer and shorter duration of snow seasons in the past 14 years. The changes are not uniform across KGZ, with significant shifts toward earlier snow arrival in western and central KGZ and significant shifts toward earlier snowmelt in eastern KGZ. The duration of the snow season has significantly shortened in western and eastern KGZ and significantly lengthened in northern and southwestern KGZ. Duration is significantly longer where the snow onset was significantly earlier or the snowmelt significantly later. There is a general trend of significantly earlier snowmelt below 3400 m and the area of earlier snowmelt is 15 times greater in eastern than western districts. Significant trends in the Aqua product were less prevalent than in the Terra product, but the general trend toward earlier snowmelt was also evident in Aqua data.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing snow seasonality in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan

Tomaszewska

Henebry

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…In some cases, the sample size of respondents was neither documented nor included in published literature (e.g., [28,29]). When sample sizes were published, participant numbers were frequently in the relatively small range of 10-50 respondents (e.g., [30][31][32][33]) or in the relatively large range of 100-400 respondents (e.g., [5,6,34,35]).…”

Section: How Much Is Enough?mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Much is Enough? Improving Participatory Mapping Using Area Rarefaction Curves

Selgrath

Gergel

2019

Land

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Participatory mapping is a valuable approach for documenting the influence of human activities on species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services, as well as the variability of human activities over space and time. This method is particularly valuable in data-poor systems; however, there has never been a systematic approach for identifying the total number of respondents necessary to map the entire spatial extent of a particular human activity. Here, we develop a new technique for identifying sufficient respondent sample sizes for participatory mapping by adapting species rarefaction curves. With a case study from a heavily fished marine ecosystem in the central Philippines, we analyze participatory maps depicting locations of individuals’ fishing grounds across six decades. Within a specified area, we assessed how different sample sizes (i.e. small vs. large numbers of respondents) would influence the estimated extent of fishing for a specified area. The estimated extent of fishing demonstrated asymptotic behavior as after interviewing a sufficiently large number of individuals, additional respondents did not increase the estimated extent. We determined that 120 fishers were necessary to capture 90% of the maximum spatial extent of fishing within our study area from 1990 to 2010, equivalent to 1.1% of male fishers in the region. However, a higher number of elder fishers need to be interviewed to accurately map fishing extent in 1960 to 1980. Participatory maps can provide context for current ecosystem conditions and can support guidelines for management and conservation. Their utility is strengthened by better consideration of the impacts of respondent sample sizes and how this can vary over time for historical assessments.

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“…The characteristic feature of traditional grazing management system in the region has been seasonal vertical-horizontal movement between pastures (Baylagasov 2011, Endicott 2012). During the Soviet era, transhumant grazing systems were curtailed and rangeland management became more centrally controlled with provision of heavy subsidies such as veterinary care, winter shelters for livestock, hay mowing equipment, hydraulic wells, state-managed delivery of emergency fodder, and improved transportation (Bedunah et al 2006, Fernandez-Gimenez 2006, Endicott 2012, Benson and Svanberg 2016, Mirzabaev et al 2016, Eddy et al 2017. After the collapse of the Soviet Union centralized planning systems in many but not all parts of the region were dismantled and government subsidies disappeared (Bedunah et al 2006, Fernandez-Gimenez 2006, Endicott 2012.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Rangeland vegetation dynamics in the Altai mountain region of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China: effects of climate, topography, and socio-political context for livestock herding practices

Iegorova

Gibbs

Mountrakis

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Discriminating between climate-and human-induced variation in rangeland quality poses a major challenge for developing policy to sustain herder livelihoods and alleviate herder poverty. We contrasted changes in rangeland vegetation cover across a region-the Altai Mountains of central Asia (China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia)-that juxtaposes strongly contrasting social, political and economic conditions across a community of herders of shared cultural background (all of Kazakh origin). Our analysis focused on a satellite-derived vegetation index (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-NDVI) from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor during the period 1982-2013, which included the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990 and heralded a transition away from pervasive state control on herding practices in many parts of the region. Grassland cover increased with decreasing elevation and increasing precipitation. Grassland also decreased under increased livestock density but was largely unresponsive to the dramatic changes that occurred in the sociopolitical context for grazing practices. Average NDVI values and duration of growing season were greater after the Soviet Union's collapse across the region, trends that precipitation and temperature data indicate were most likely driven by a changing climate. We conclude that rangeland policy development to assure sustainability of herder livelihoods in the Altai Mountain region should focus on climate change adaptation measures rather than modifying herders' grazing practices.

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Integrating remote sensing and local ecological knowledge to monitor rangeland dynamics

Cited by 60 publications

References 68 publications

Changing snow seasonality in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan

Changing snow seasonality in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan

How Much is Enough? Improving Participatory Mapping Using Area Rarefaction Curves

Rangeland vegetation dynamics in the Altai mountain region of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China: effects of climate, topography, and socio-political context for livestock herding practices

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