The use of satellite images for mapping of landscape and biological diversity in the Sahel

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Abstract
The use of satellite images for mapping landscape and biological diversity in the Ferlo region of Senegal, in the Sahel ecoclimatic zone, was tested. A high resolution Landsat TM image was used for measurements of the landscape diversity. NOAA INDVI was applied for a yearly assessment of biomass production. These data were later correlated with avian diversity, which was used as an indicator of biological diversity. A model based on a combination of the two types of satellite images was used to explain 40-50 per cent of the variations in bird populations in the winters of 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. The model is suggested as a preliminary assessment for mapping and monitoring biological diversity in landscapes with large heterogeneity in the horizontal plane like the Sahel region.