Abstract for presentation at The 13th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference

Using Spot 5 Imagery to Discriminiate Feral Horse Impacts

  • Miss Joanne Lenehan, University of New England, Australia
  • Paul Frazier, University of New England, Australia
  • Dr Karl Vernes, University of New England, Australia
  • Assoc Prof Nick Reid, University of New England, Australia

    • In Australia research into the ecological impacts of feral horses has increased in line with management concerns about their presence in regions of high biodiversity and conservation value. Feral horses are known to: increase hill-slope erosion by over grazing and trampling grasses and other understorey vegetation; alter understorey composition and structure; and damage trees through bark chewing. Quantifying these effects can be difficult owing to the generally isolated (inaccessible or remote) nature of the feral horse habitat and the confounding influence of other large herbivores (cattle, macropods etc). In this study we will develop and test methods of using high- and medium-resolution satellite data (Quickbird and SPOT5) to quantify the effects of feral horses in Guy Fawkes River National Park (GFRNP).
    Vegetation biomass and composition are being measured and compared in six management regions with varying horse densities in GFRNP. Within each management region we are recording: faecal counts; vegetation composition; sward structure; vegetation biomass; and landscape functionality variables. We will compared these vegetation biomass and structure and horse density measures with condition metrics (land cover and vegetation indices) created from SPOT 5 and Quickbird imagery. We will also use visual interpretation techniques to locate known horse-related features such as grazing lawns and pads and assessed the accuracy of these maps through ground assessment.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd