From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control
Human activities have caused a significant change in the function and services that ecosystems have provided to society since historical times. In mountainous landscapes, the regulation of services such as water quality or erosion control has been impacted by land use and land cover (LULC) changes,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/8/1864 |
| _version_ | 1797409498050068480 |
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| author | Gonzalo Hernández-Romero Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez Ignacio Pérez-Silos Ana Silió-Calzada David R. Vieites Jose Barquín |
| author_facet | Gonzalo Hernández-Romero Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez Ignacio Pérez-Silos Ana Silió-Calzada David R. Vieites Jose Barquín |
| author_sort | Gonzalo Hernández-Romero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human activities have caused a significant change in the function and services that ecosystems have provided to society since historical times. In mountainous landscapes, the regulation of services such as water quality or erosion control has been impacted by land use and land cover (LULC) changes, especially the loss and fragmentation of forest patches. In this work, we develop a Remote Sensing (RS)-based modelling approach to identify areas for the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) (i.e., natural forest conservation and restoration) that allow reducing the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to siltation in mountainous regions. We used time series Landsat 5TM, 7ETM+, 8OLI and Sentinel 2A/2B MSI (S2) imagery to map forest dynamics and wetland distribution in Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain). We fed RS-based models with detailed in situ information based on photo-interpretation and fieldwork completed from 2017 to 2021. We estimated a forest cover increase rate of 2 ha/year comparing current and past LULC maps against external validation data. We applied this forest gain to a scenario generator model to derive a 30-year future LULC map that defines the potential forest extent for the study area in 2049. We then modelled the distribution of wetlands to identify the areas with the greatest potential for moisture accumulation. We used an S2 mosaic and topography-derived data such as the slope and topographic wetness index (TWI), which indicate terrain water accumulation. Overall accuracy scores reached values of 86% for LULC classification and 61% for wetland mapping. At the same time, we obtained the potential erosion using the NetMap software to identify potential sediment production, transport and deposition areas. Finally, forest dynamics, wetland distribution and potential erosion were combined in a multi-criteria analysis aiming to reduce the amount of sediment reaching selected wetlands. We achieved this by identifying the most suitable locations for the conservation and restoration of natural forests on slopes and in riparian areas, which may reduce the risk of soil erosion and maximise sediment filtering, respectively. The results show a network pattern for forest management that would allow for controlling erosion effects across space and time at three levels: one, by reducing the load that originates upslope in the absence of forest cover; two, by intersecting runoff at watercourses related to sediment transport; and three, by a lack of former barriers, by trapping erosion near to the receiving wetland systems, main river axes and contributing streams. In conclusion, the proposed methodology, which could be transferred to other mountain regions, allows to optimise investment for erosion prevention and wetland conservation by using only very specific areas of the landscape for habitat management (e.g., for NBS implementation). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:15:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c796c2a0655d4c5a9f44002a6bc6bda0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:15:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-c796c2a0655d4c5a9f44002a6bc6bda02023-12-03T13:55:36ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-04-01148186410.3390/rs14081864From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion ControlGonzalo Hernández-Romero0Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez1Ignacio Pérez-Silos2Ana Silió-Calzada3David R. Vieites4Jose Barquín5BioCoRe S. Coop., C/Manzanares, 4, 28005 Madrid, SpainIHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental, Universidad de Cantabria, PCTCAN, C/Isabel Torres 15, 39011 Santander, SpainIHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental, Universidad de Cantabria, PCTCAN, C/Isabel Torres 15, 39011 Santander, SpainIHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental, Universidad de Cantabria, PCTCAN, C/Isabel Torres 15, 39011 Santander, SpainDepartament of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales—CSIC, Calle José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, SpainIHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental, Universidad de Cantabria, PCTCAN, C/Isabel Torres 15, 39011 Santander, SpainHuman activities have caused a significant change in the function and services that ecosystems have provided to society since historical times. In mountainous landscapes, the regulation of services such as water quality or erosion control has been impacted by land use and land cover (LULC) changes, especially the loss and fragmentation of forest patches. In this work, we develop a Remote Sensing (RS)-based modelling approach to identify areas for the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) (i.e., natural forest conservation and restoration) that allow reducing the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to siltation in mountainous regions. We used time series Landsat 5TM, 7ETM+, 8OLI and Sentinel 2A/2B MSI (S2) imagery to map forest dynamics and wetland distribution in Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain). We fed RS-based models with detailed in situ information based on photo-interpretation and fieldwork completed from 2017 to 2021. We estimated a forest cover increase rate of 2 ha/year comparing current and past LULC maps against external validation data. We applied this forest gain to a scenario generator model to derive a 30-year future LULC map that defines the potential forest extent for the study area in 2049. We then modelled the distribution of wetlands to identify the areas with the greatest potential for moisture accumulation. We used an S2 mosaic and topography-derived data such as the slope and topographic wetness index (TWI), which indicate terrain water accumulation. Overall accuracy scores reached values of 86% for LULC classification and 61% for wetland mapping. At the same time, we obtained the potential erosion using the NetMap software to identify potential sediment production, transport and deposition areas. Finally, forest dynamics, wetland distribution and potential erosion were combined in a multi-criteria analysis aiming to reduce the amount of sediment reaching selected wetlands. We achieved this by identifying the most suitable locations for the conservation and restoration of natural forests on slopes and in riparian areas, which may reduce the risk of soil erosion and maximise sediment filtering, respectively. The results show a network pattern for forest management that would allow for controlling erosion effects across space and time at three levels: one, by reducing the load that originates upslope in the absence of forest cover; two, by intersecting runoff at watercourses related to sediment transport; and three, by a lack of former barriers, by trapping erosion near to the receiving wetland systems, main river axes and contributing streams. In conclusion, the proposed methodology, which could be transferred to other mountain regions, allows to optimise investment for erosion prevention and wetland conservation by using only very specific areas of the landscape for habitat management (e.g., for NBS implementation).https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/8/1864Cantabrian CordilleraEcosystem Serviceshabitat mappingLULCmountainous wetlandsnature-based solutions |
| spellingShingle | Gonzalo Hernández-Romero Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez Ignacio Pérez-Silos Ana Silió-Calzada David R. Vieites Jose Barquín From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control Remote Sensing Cantabrian Cordillera Ecosystem Services habitat mapping LULC mountainous wetlands nature-based solutions |
| title | From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control |
| title_full | From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control |
| title_fullStr | From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control |
| title_short | From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control |
| title_sort | from forest dynamics to wetland siltation in mountainous landscapes a rs based framework for enhancing erosion control |
| topic | Cantabrian Cordillera Ecosystem Services habitat mapping LULC mountainous wetlands nature-based solutions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/8/1864 |
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