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Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Ecosystem greenspots: identifying potential drought, fire, and climate-change micro-refuges
Brendan Mackey1, Sandra Berry, Sonia Hugh
1The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia. b.mackey@griffith.edu.au
Summary
This study identifies potential micro-refuges using satellite data to aid species persistence amid climate change. These vital
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Remote Sensing
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Climate change and habitat degradation necessitate identifying species refugia.
- Micro-refuges are crucial for species persistence in drought and fire-prone bioregions.
- Ecological theories like source-sink habitats and habitat templet inform refuge identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a novel approach for identifying potential micro-refuges using satellite-derived vegetation greenness data.
- To analyze the distribution and characteristics of potential micro-refuges within major vegetation ecosystems.
- To assess the relationship between identified micro-refuges and environmental variables, species composition, and protected areas.
Main Methods:
- Utilized NASA MODIS 16-day L3 Global 250 m satellite imagery (MOD13Q1) time series data.
- Calculated a micro-refuge index based on fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) mean, coefficient of variance (COV), minimum annual fPAR, and monthly fPAR COV.
- Mapped potential micro-refuges ('greenspots') and compared them with vascular plant species composition, environmental data, and protected areas.
Main Results:
- Identified potential micro-refuges across all vegetation ecosystem types in the Great Eastern Ranges, Australia.
- Upper 25% threshold identified 48,406 ha of ecosystem greenspots, representing approximately 0.2% of the region's native vegetation.
- Environmental analysis indicated deterministic controls on micro-refuge distribution, suggesting continued function under climate change.
Conclusions:
- The developed approach effectively identifies potential micro-refuges crucial for species persistence.
- Micro-refuge networks can enhance beta-diversity, ecosystem stability, resilience, and adaptive capacity against climate change and land use pressures.
- This methodology is transferable to other global regions facing similar conservation challenges, particularly arid zones in Australia, southern Africa, and South America.
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