Remote Sensing for Biodiversity and Habitat Change Detection in the West Coast Migratory Pollinator Corridor of North America

摘要

By virtue of their dependence on discontinuous habitats extending over thousands of miles, migratory pollinators, such as the rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), are some of the most sensitive indicators of ecosystem change. Rufous hummingbird populations have declined over the past 30 years and this decline has been attributed to disruption in migratory corridor habitats. The ability to monitor such disruptions in land cover habitats over an area more than 4000 km, from southwestern Mexico to southern Alaska, can only be accomplished using remote sensing. This paper describes the analysis of satellite-derived land cover maps to identify areas of land cover/habitat change in the migratory pollinator corridor. Land cover maps derived from satellite imagery are used in a land change model to identify areas of impact on migrating hummingbirds that effect biodiversity and habitats.