Project 1:
Research presentation of habitat loss in Nicaraguan park reserves near the capital of Managua. Click on slides to view them larger. Download here: Nicaragua Presentation
Project 2:
Area of Interest: Florida and Nigeria
Group Members: Vanessa Alcantar, Dwayne Norman, Kristin O'Neil
Abstract:
Combined images from Landsat 4-7 are downloaded from the USGS Global Visualization Viewer in order to understand the habitat changes of two major national park that individually hold critically endangered species. The Landsat images used vary in times frames. The years used in for the Cross River National Park in Basau, Nigeria are from 2000 and 2002. In the Everglades National Park in Florida, USA the years 1993 and 2010 were analyzed. Using density slice and NDVI I was able to analyze the vegetation changes over the two time periods.The Everglades National Park resulted in having the most habitat loss. The Cross River National Park had very little change over the two year time period.
Introduction:
The Everglades and the Cross River are important national parks that with a huge variety of biological species. The lost of tropical moist forest is recognized as a major environmental problem globally, and in particular, the West African sub-region (Ite). In Nigeria the Cross River national park preserves the smallest number of cross river gorillas, about 100. This national park is now a high priority in Nigeria because it houses the remaining tropical moist forest in Africa (Ite). The Everglades also plays an important role in the environment because it is one of the largest freshwater marshes on the North American continent and contains the largest single body of organic soils in the world (Loveless). In order for wildlife to be properly protected it is necessary to study the the area of habitat. One of the most affected animals in the Everglades is the Florida Panther. There are at least 100 panthers roaming in the everglades today (Foster).
Data and Analysis Methods:
The primary methods of analysis included NDVI and Density Slice. Density Slicing is done by diving the range of brightness in a single band into intervals, then assigning each interval to a color (Campbell 153). The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) estimates how healthy vegetation is in a region.
Site Location:
View Cross River in a larger map
The active map below holds locations of the two national parks that were used to determine how much habitat was lost over two different time periods. After analyzing the data a comparison of habitat was made between the two distinct year for each perspective national park.
View Endagered Species in a larger map To view the regions in 3-D high resolution click on "Earth"
Results:
Cross River National Park, Basau, Nigeria: Gorilla Gorilla Diehli
Habitat Total:
2000: The green range depicts the total amount of habitat in the Cross River National Park. 
2002: The lighter green range depicts the total amount of habitat two years later. Not much has changed. Everglades National Park, Florida, USA: Puma Concolor Coryi
1993: The amount total amount of habitat is depicted in the dark sea green range. 
2010: The total amount of habitat seven years later is depicted in the green range, there has been a drastic change in habitat. Habitat loss analysis was possible through the usage of Landsat images. Using these Landsat images density slice and NDVI we were able to determine which areas were at greater risk of losing their endangered species for good. In analyzing the images the Everglades has a higher probability of losing the Florida Panther because of its drastic habitat loss over the seven years. The increase of development means more people will travel through the Everglades. One of the major mortality rates for the Florida Panther results from car accidents(Foster). Policy needs to be enforced in this area before the Everglades are completely wiped along with the Florida panther. In contrast the Cross River national park showed positive signs that the Cross River gorilla may repopulate the region. In the images there was little change in habitat in the two year period. Important conservation policies have been enforced over the past few years for the protection of this species (IUCN). It is relevant through the density slice results that habitat has been preserved.
References:
- Campbell, J.B. "Introduction to Remote Sensing," 3rd ed., Taylor & Francis, p. 153
- Ite, Uwem. "Small Farmers and Forest Loss in the Cross River National Park, Nigeria."
- Foster, Melissa. "Use of Highway Underpasses by Florida Panthers and other Wildlife."
- Loveless, Charles."A Study of Vegetation in the Florida Everglades."
- "Top 25 Most Endangered Primates," IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group.
