Land productivity dynamics in Socotra Island (Yemen)
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SOCOTRA BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND NATURE CONSERVATION
Land productivity dynamics in Socotra Island (Yemen) Marcelo Rezende1,2 · Tullia Riccardi1 · Luca Malatesta1 · Fabio Attorre1 · Kay Van Damme3 Received: 5 May 2020 / Accepted: 26 June 2020 © Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei 2020
Abstract Socotra, the largest of four islands in the Socotra archipelago (Yemen), is characterized by high geo-morphological and biological diversity. Traditional management of land resources has been impacted by cultural shifts, globalization and urban expansion. In addition, the island has been affected by climate impacts, such as droughts and recent cyclones causing significant economic and environmental damage. Our study presents an analysis of the dynamics of the vegetation on the island for the period 2001–2019 and highlights the status of different landscapes. We used Earth Observation techniques and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to assess land productivity dynamics basing on vegetation indexes derived from average resolution satellite images. The results show that although the arid landscapes of Socotra seem resilient, over 30% of the central mountainous areas of the Hageher (hosting a unique and high biodiversity) are decreasing in productivity, whereas in the lowlands (where plant diversity is relatively lower) productivity has increased significantly for the same time period, up to 40% in some areas. Given the difference in biological diversity of the sites, this study can help prioritize conservation areas and activities, which are crucial for Socotra’s terrestrial environment. The methodology applied could be replicated for continuous monitoring in the future. Keywords Land productivity · NDVI · Remote sensing · Socotra
1 Introduction
This paper belongs to a Topical Collection on “Twenty years of biodiversity research and nature conservation in the Socotra Archipelago” edited by Fabio Attorre and Kay Van Damme and originated at Socotra Conference (18th Friends of Socotra Conference), 26–29 September, 2019, Orto Botanico di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Disclaimer The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. * Marcelo Rezende [email protected] 1
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
2
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
3
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Island ecosystems are often rich in biodiversity and may harbor unique taxa (Kier et al. 2009), however, their biotas are vulnerable and face higher extinction risks than continents because of the isolation and limited population sizes of endemic species (Caujapé-Castells et al. 2010). The Socotra archipelago, situated in the western Indian Ocean and part of the Republic of Yemen (F
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