Combining remote sensing and a geographic information system to map and assess the accessibility of invasive alien species forest stands: Case of Acacia mearnsii on Reunion Island

Bley-Dalouman Hélène, Broust François, Tran Annelise. 2023. Combining remote sensing and a geographic information system to map and assess the accessibility of invasive alien species forest stands: Case of Acacia mearnsii on Reunion Island. Forests, 14 (10):2030, 19 p.

https://doi.org/10.3390/f14102030

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Url - jeu de données - Dataverse Cirad : https://doi.org/10.18167/DVN1/LXXO9Y

Résumé : Acacia mearnsii, an invasive alien species, is the main resource identified for the energy transition initiated on Reunion Island. It is, therefore, critical to identify the existent forest stands within the island's large tropical forest area and to determine which of these stands are accessible for logging operations. In this study, a very high-spatial-resolution image was used to map forest (Acacia mearnsii, Acacia heterophylla, Cryptomeria japonica) and non-forest land cover. To identify the accessible forest stands, we developed a geographic information system (GIS) processing chain, accounting for barriers, the distribution of slopes, and the location of forest roads. User-defined parameters, such as the slope threshold and maximal distance to forest roads, allow different scenarios to be explored. The classification yields an overall accuracy of 88% and a Kappa index of 0.86 and highlights the areas occupied by the different types of Acacia. By applying the GIS processing chain for a standard scenario, the results show that only 19% of the initial study area of 637 ha of Acacia mearnsii patches is suitable for exploitation. In conclusion, our results demonstrate how remote sensing (RS) and GIS can be combined to provide valuable tools for forest managers to design management plans for invasive alien forest species.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : espèce exotique envahissante, aménagement forestier, système d'information géographique, télédétection, espèce envahissante, cartographie, Acacia mearnsii

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : La Réunion, France

Mots-clés libres : Acacia mearnsii, Invasive alien species, Remote Sensing, Object-based image analysis, Geographic Information System, Forest management, Wood energy

Classification Agris : K01 - Foresterie - Considérations générales
K11 - Génie forestier
H60 - Mauvaises herbes et désherbage

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 4 (2019-) - Santé des plantes, des animaux et des écosystèmes

Agences de financement européennes : European Commission

Agences de financement hors UE : Conseil Général de La Réunion, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement

Projets sur financement : (REU) Services et impacts des activités agricoles en milieu tropical

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