Centennial-Scale Land-Cover Change on Babeldaob Island, Palau

Julian Dendy, Paul Collins, Dino Mesubed, Susan Cordell, Christian P. Giardina, Amanda Uowolo and Akiko Iida
Additional contact information
Julian Dendy: Coral Reef Research Foundation, P.O. Box 1765, Koror 96940, Palau
Paul Collins: University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, Wales, UK
Dino Mesubed: Palau Forestry, Bureau of Agriculture, Ngerelmud 96940, Palau
Susan Cordell: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Christian P. Giardina: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Amanda Uowolo: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Akiko Iida: Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-21

Abstract: We used publicly available land-cover datasets (1921, 1947, 1976, 1992, 2001, 2006, 2014) to assess land-cover change on Babeldaob Island, Republic of Palau. Land-cover data were organized, classified, and summarized by area and percentage of island cover for forest, mangrove, non-forest vegetation, and non-vegetation. Japanese colonial administration of the island between 1921 and 1947 included industrial mining and agriculture, which reduced total non-mangrove forest cover by 16%. Temporal vegetation cover dynamics from 1947 through 2014 indicate unassisted forest regeneration of 12% with a concomitant decrease in non-forest vegetation including abandoned agriculture, the majority of which happened by 1976. Mangrove cover appears to have remained stable throughout the 93 year study period. Ground-truth observations showed the highest rates of vegetation cover change since 1976 for non-vegetated areas, followed by marsh and swamp forest. The proportion of non-vegetated cover increased at least twofold after WWII, with at least half comprising roads. Contrary to other tropical geographies, we saw forest expansion following completion of a major perimeter road. However, the larger landscape is permeated by dynamic forest edges subject to wildfire and other land-use disturbances.

Keywords: vegetation cover; remote sensing; tropical forest; secondary savanna; mangrove (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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