Geomatics-based characterization of spatial and temporal trends in heterogeneous Mediterranean rangelands of Northern Greece

Abstract

The county of Lagadas in northern Greece is typical for heterogeneous Mediterranean rangelands embedded within a patchwork of land use types. In front of the spatial configuration of the landscape, major changes in rural economies were experienced in past years which have caused competing demands of different stakeholders on the utilization of natural resources. Local-scale remote sensing data archives provide opportunities to assess the present state of resources and retrospectively characterize their development. In the present study, temporal and spatial trends were analyzed using linear trend analysis of Landsat-TM and-ETM+ imagery, and grazing pressure and its effects were investigated using a cost surface modeling approach. It was found that stability, degradation and regeneration of vegetation are present in close proximity and their spatial pattern was found to be largely determined by socio-economic factors. Most importantly, the different interpretation approaches were found to contribute to a general understanding of the various feedback loops operating in the watershed of Mygdonia valley.