The application of a remotely-sensed diversity index to monitor degradation patterns in a semi-arid, heterogeneous, South African landscape

We present a remotely-sensed degradation assessment technique based on the measurement of landscape heterogeneity (a key determinant of degradation status). The moving standard deviation index (MSDI) is derived by passing a moving standard deviation filter across the Landsat TM band 3 (red band). Degraded/unstable landscapes exhibit higher MSDI values than their undisturbed/stable counterparts. Significant differences in MSDI were detected (p < 0.001) across four fence-lines which separated rangeland of contrasting condition. The relationship of the index to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was tested in five different ecosystems and significant correlations were obtained in all cases (p < 0.001). We propose the MSDI as a powerful adjunct to vegetation indices.