Evaluation of Forest Canopy Density and Forest Fragmentation Using Landsat Data in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

Abstract

Forest abundance in the region of Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWS) was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using the method of forest canopy density (FCD) in combination with patch analyst tool for ArcGIS 10.2 and landscape fragmentation using Landsat 8 images. The strong relationship between FCD and the biomass have qualitatively assured that the distributions of the forest by density are highly acceptable (R² = 0.8772). A quantitative approach was derived from the FCD level for landscape ecology with a patch and fragmentation analyses. The patch data demonstrated shapes and degrees of forest abundance into 4 types as the core, perforate, edge and patch. The fragmentation data demonstrated that the core is the most occupied, approximately 71.33%. The high percentage of the core imply as the high abundance, whereas the low percentage of other three patch classes imply the areas of degradation. Combinations of these two approaches can support policies, laws and guidelines for sustainable management to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in PKWS.