Long-term land cover changes and their effects on wildlife in the Caucasus
Afag Rizayeva, University of Wisconsin-Madison, rizayeva@wisc.edu (Presenter)
Mihai D Nita, Transylvania University of Brasov, Romania, nita.mihai.daniel@gmail.com
Rovshan Abbasov, Khazar University, Azerbaijan, rabbasov@khazar.org
Alla Aleksanyan, Armenian National Agrarian University, alla.alexanyan@gmail.com
Elshad Askerov, WWF Azerbaijan, easkerov@wwfcaucasus.org
Johanna Buchner, University of Wisconsin-Madison, buchner2@wisc.edu
Aynura Babaliyeva, WWF Azerbaijan, ababaliyeva@wwfcaucasus.org
Alexander Gavashelishvili, Ilia State University, Georgia, kajiri2000@gmail.com
Neda Kasraee, University of Wisconsin-Madison, kasraee@wisc.edu
Natalia Rogova, University of Wisconsin-Madison, nrogova@wisc.edu
Sevinj Sarukhanova, Baku State University, Azerbaijan, s.saruxanova@gmail.com
He Yin, Kent State University, hyin3@kent.edu
Volker C Radeloff, University of Wisconsin-Madison, radeloff@wisc.edu
Wildlife populations across the globe are declining due to habitat loss and other factors, but it is challenging to evaluate losses because of a lacking a suitable baseline. Habitat loss accelerated in many regions during the second half of the 20th century due to the mechanization and industrialization of agriculture, the green revolution, and urbanization due to rapid population growth. We evaluated how habitat suitability for large mammals changed over this period in the Caucasus region using long-term satellite imagery and current species’ presence data. Specifically, we focused on three ungulate species in Azerbaijan.
We used the current species’ presence data and parameterized species modeling to evaluate their habitats. Then we applied these models to the land cover map based on the 1965 Corona spy satellite images and predicted potential species distributions in 1965 based on their habitat suitability. Lastly, we assessed long-term changes in these landscapes using recent land cover maps derived from Landsat images.
Major land cover changes were a 20% rise in grasslands and a 30% decline in forests. These changes had varying impacts on species' habitats. In mountainous areas, the increase in grasslands resulted in a 10% expansion of habitats for red deer and East Caucasian tur (Cervus elaphus and Capra cylindricornis). However, in lowlands, the habitat for goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) decreased by 30%, due to increased human activity, and only minor increases in grasslands within their range.
Given the widespread land cover change, it is important to understand how long-term changes are affecting wildlife habitats, particularly in biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caucasus eco-region. Spy satellite images allow extending the timeline of earth observations, thereby providing better baselines for conservation.
Poster: Poster_Rizayeva_2-55_183_35.pdf
Associated Project(s):
Poster Location ID: 2-55
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Poster Session 2
Session Date: Wed (May 10) 5:15-7:15 PM
CCE Program: LCLUC