Abstract:
Understanding the effects of human disturbances at the forest fringe is useful in efforts to implement best management practices aimed at conserving forest resources. This study evaluates multi-year changes of vegetation in the Sinharaja Man and the Biosphere (MAB) reserve using mappable vegetation related indices viz., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Burn Index (BI). Land-cover changes in the Sinharaja MAB reserve were detected using Landsat 7 ETM+ images for 1993, 2001, and 2005, and DIVA GIS land-cover data in 2000. NDVI resulted in a 962 ha increase of vegetation prime at the western Sinharaja from 2001-2005 and a 15 ha decrease of vegetation at the southern Sinharaja from 1993-2005. Results from BI showed that the Sinharaja MAB reserve fringe is vulnerable to forest fire. This vulnerability can be seen in the following totals of burned hectares: 160 ha from 1993-2001, 79 ha from 2001-2005, and 10 ha for the entire period of 1993-2005. According to the land-cover map, burn area occurred at the cultivated lands, scrublands, and fragmented forest fringe. The results were visualized using an embedded 3D render window of Google Earth and a 2D view of ArcGIS explorer online. In conclusion, in-situ ground truthing data is needed for the fire-influenced area for implementing sustainable forest resource management at the Sinharaja MAB reserve.
