Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T23:19:54.176Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rapid primary productivity changes in one of the last coastal rainforests: the case of Kahua, Solomon Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2009

IRENE GARONNA ,
IOAN FAZEY ,
MOLLY E. BROWN  and
NATHALIE PETTORELLI
IRENE GARONNA
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
IOAN FAZEY
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Geosciences, Irvine Building, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, UK
MOLLY E. BROWN
Affiliation:
NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 614.4, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
NATHALIE PETTORELLI*
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
*
*Correspondence: Dr Nathalie Pettorelli Tel: +44 20 7449 6334 Fax: +44 20 7483 2237 e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The growth of human populations has many direct and indirect impacts on tropical forest ecosystems both locally and globally. This is particularly true in the Solomon Islands, where coastal rainforest cover still remains, but where climate change and a growing human population is putting increasing pressure on ecosystems. This study assessed recent primary productivity changes in the Kahua region (Makira, Solomon Islands) using remote sensing data (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI). In this area, there has been no commercial logging and there is no existing information about the state of the forests. Results indicate that primary productivity has been decreasing in recent years, and that the recent changes are more marked near villages. Multiple factors may explain the reported pattern in primary productivity. The study highlights the need to (1) assess how accurately remote sensing data-based results match field data on the ground; (2) identify the relative contribution of the climatic, socioeconomic and political drivers of such changes; and (3) evaluate how primary productivity changes affect biodiversity level, ecosystem functioning and human livelihoods.

Keywords

MODIS (moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometers)NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index)primary productivitySolomon Islandstropical forests
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 36 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 253 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achard, F. & Estreguil, C. (1995) Forest classification of Southeast Asia using NOAA AVHRR data. Remote Sensing Environment 54: 198–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alcaraz-Segura, D., Cabello, J., Paruelo, J.M. & Delibes, M. (2009) Use of descriptors of ecosystem functioning for monitoring a national park network: a remote sensing approach. Environmental Management 43: 38–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allen, M.G., Bourke, R.M., Evans, B.R., Iramu, E., Maemouri, R.K., Mullen, B.F., Pollard, A.A., Wairiu, M., Watoto, C. & Zotalis, S. (2006) Solomon Islands Smallholder Agriculture Study. Volume 4, Provincial Reports. AusAID, Canberra, Australia [www document]. URL http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pdf/solomon_study_vol4.pdfGoogle Scholar
Baldi, G., Nosetto, M.D., Aragón, R., Aversa, F., Paruelo, J.M. & Jobbágy, E.G. (2008) Long-term satellite NDVI data sets: evaluating their ability to detect ecosystem functional changes in South America. Sensors 8: 5397–5425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayliss-Smith, T., Hviding, E. & Whitmore, T. (2003) Rainforest composition and histories of human disturbance in Solomon Islands. Ambio 32: 346–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonan, G.B. (2008) Forests and climate change: forcings, feedbacks, and the climate benefits of forests. Science 320: 1444–1449.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bourke, R.M., McGregor, A., Allen, M.G., Evans, B.R., Mullen, B.F., Pollard, A.A., Wairiu, M. & Zotalis, S. (2006) Solomon Islands Smallholder Agriculture Study, Volume 1. Main findings and recommendations. AusAID, Canberra, Australia [www document]. URL http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pdf/solomon_study_vol1.pdfGoogle Scholar
Brookfield, H.C. (1969) Some notes on the climate of the British Solomon Islands. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 255: 207–210.Google Scholar
Campbell, J.B. (2007) Introduction to Remote Sensing, 4th Edition. New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Carpenter, S.R., Mooney, H.A., Agard, J., Capistrano, D., DeFries, R.S., Diaz, S., Dietz, T., Duraiappah, A.K., Oteng-Yeboah, A., Pereira, H.M., Perrings, C., Reid, W.V., Sarukhan, J., Scholes, R.J. & Whyte, A. (2009) Science for managing ecosystem services: beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 1305–1312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cliggett, L., Colson, E., Hay, R., Scudder, T. & Unruh, J. (2007) Chronic uncertainty and momentary opportunity: a half century of adaptation among Zambia's Gwembe Tonga. Human Ecology 35: 19–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conservation International (2007) Makira, Solomon Islands [www document]. URL http://biosurvey.conservation.org/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_127583_136413_0_0_18/Makira%20Solomon%20Islands-2007.pdfGoogle Scholar
Dahl, A. (2004) UNEP Islands Directory. United Nations Environment [www document]. URL http://islands.unep.ch/isldir.htmGoogle Scholar
Ebi, K.L., Lewis, N.D. & Corvalan, C. (2006) Climate variability and change and their potential health effects in small island states: information for adaptation planning in the health sector. Environmental Health Perspectives 114: 1957–1963.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evely, A.C., Fazey, I., Pinard, M. & Lambin, X. (2008) The influence of philosophical perspectives in integrative research: a conservation case study in the Cairngorms National Park. Ecology and Society 13: paper no. 52 [www document]. URL http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss2/art52/CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAO (2000) Asia and the Pacific National Forestry Programmes: Update 34. 26. Solomon Islands [www document]. URL http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6900e/x6900e0t.htmGoogle Scholar
Fazey, I., Latham, I., Hagasua, J. & Wagatora, D. (2007) Kahua Research Preliminary Report: Livelihoods and Change in Kahua, Solomon Islands. Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK.Google Scholar
Feddema, J.J., Oleson, K.W., Bonan, G.B., Mearns, L.O., Buja, L.E., Meehl, G.A. & Washington, W.M. (2005) The importance of land-cover change in simulating future climates. Science 310: 1674–1678.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goetz, S.J., Baccini, A., Laporte, N.T., Johns, T., Walker, W., Kellndorfer, J., Houghton, R.A. & Sun, M. (2009) Mapping and monitoring carbon stocks with satellite observations: a comparison of methods. Carbon Balance and Management 4: 1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goward, S.N. & Prince, S.D. (1995) Transient effects of climate on vegetation dynamics: satellite observations. Journal of Biogeography 22: 549–564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoare, D. & Frost, P. (2004) Phenological description of natural vegetation in southern Africa using remotely-sensed vegetation data. Applied Vegetation Science 7: 19–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holben, B. (1986) Characteristics of maximum-value composite images from temporal AVHRR data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 7: 1417–1434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huete, A., Didan, K., Miura, T., Rodriguez, E.P., Gao, X. & Ferreira, L.G. (2002) Overview of the radiometric and biophysical performance of the MODIS vegetation indices. Remote Sensing of Environment 83: 195–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, J.R. (2007) Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective. Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Kerr, J.T. & Ostrovsky, M. (2003) From space to species: ecological applications for remote sensing. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18: 299–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koy, K., McShea, W.J., Leimgruber, P., Haack, B.N. & Aung, M. (2005) Percentage canopy cover – using Landsat imagery to delineate habitat for Myanmar's endangered Eld's deer (Cervus eldi). Animal Conservation 8: 289–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leary, T. (1992) Solomon Islands: state of the environment report. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Apia, Western Samoa.Google Scholar
Loveland, T.R., Cochrane, M.A. & Henebry, G.M. (2008) Landsat still contributing to environmental research. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23: 182–183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markon, C.J. & Peterson, K.M. (2002) The utility of estimating net primary productivity over Alaska using baseline AVHRR data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 23: 4571–4596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, P. & Dietz, T. (2008) Structure, agency and environment: toward an integrated perspective on vulnerability. Global Environmental Change 18: 99–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morisette, J.T., Pinzon, J.E., Brown, M.E., Tucker, C.J. & Justice, C.O. (2004) Initial validation of NDVI time series from AVHRR, Vegetation and Modis. In: International SPOT 4/5 – VEGETATION users Conference, Antwerp, Belgium [www document]. URL http://www.smaq-life.org/files/techwatch/Earth_Observation_Derived_Information/Abstracts_-_2nd_VEGETATION_International_Users_Conference.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mueller-Dombois, D. & Fosberg, R.F. (1998) Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands. New York, NY, USA: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neigh, C.S.R., Tucker, C.J., & Townshend, J.R.G. (2008) North American vegetation dynamics observed with multi-resolution satellite data. Remote Sensing of Environment 112: 1749–1772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettorelli, N., Vik, J.O., Mysterud, A., Gaillard, J.M., Tucker, C.J. & Stenseth, N.C. (2005) Using the satellite-derived NDVI to assess ecological responses to environmental change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 503–510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raymond, D.H. & Wooff, W.G. (2006) Small-scale forest plantations are the key to the future of the Solomon Islands forest industry. International Forestry Review 8: 222–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reenberg, A., Birch-Thomsen, T., Mertz, O., Fog, B. & Christiansen, S. (2008) Adaptation of human coping strategies in a small island society in the SW Pacific: 50 years of change in the coupled human-environment system on Bellona, Solomon Islands. Human Ecology 36: 807–819.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saleska, S.R., Didan, K., Huete, A.R. & Rocha, H.R.D. (2007) Amazon forests green-up during 2005 drought. Science 318: 612.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tanre, D., Holben, B.N. & Kaufman, Y.J. (1992) Atmospheric correction algorithm for NOAA-AVHRR products: theory and application. IEEE Journal of Geosciences and Remote Sensing 30: 231–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, C.J. (1979) Red and photographic infrared linear combinations for monitoring vegetation. Remote Sensing of the Environment 8: 127–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, C.J., Townshend, J.R.G. & Goff, T.E. (1985) African land-cover classification using satellite data. Science 227: 369–375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tucker, C.J., Grant, D.M. & Dykstra, J.D. (2004) NASA's global orthorectified Landsat data set. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 70: 313–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Common Country Assessment (2002) Solomon Islands [www document]. URL http://www.un.org.fj/_resources/un/files/CCA_Solomons.pdfGoogle Scholar
UNESCAP (2005) Statistical Indicators for Asia and the Pacific [www document]. URL http://www.unescap.org/STAT/data/statind/pdf/t2_dec04.pdfGoogle Scholar
van Leeuwen, W.J.D., Orr, B.J., Marsh, S.E. & Hermann, S.M. (2006) Multi-sensor NDVI data continuity: Uncertainties and implications for vegetation monitoring applications. Remote Sensing of Environment 100: 67–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, B. & Salt, D. (2006) Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Washington DC, USA: Island Press.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T.C. (1969) The vegetation of the Solomon Islands. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 255: 259.Google Scholar
Wright, S.J. (2005) Tropical forests in a changing environment. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 553–560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WSSD Working Group (1992) Solomon Islands National Assessment. World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio +10) [www document]. URL http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/wssd/solomonIslands.pdfGoogle Scholar
Xiao, X., Hagen, S., Zhang, O., Keller, M. & Moore, B. (2006) Detecting leaf phenology of seasonally moist tropical forests in South America with multi-temporal MODIS images. Remote Sensing of Environment 103: 465–473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Garonna et al. supplementary material

Appendix and figures

Download Garonna et al. supplementary material(File)
File 78.8 KB