Abstract
Forest Cover Change in the Toledo District, Belize from 1975 to 1999: A Remote Sensing Approach Track: Remote Sensing Imagery Author(s): James Quinn Measuring land cover change is an essential component of sustainable conservation planning. This study uses Landsat MSS and ETM+ data to document forest cover change in the Toledo District, Belize from 1975 to 1999, and provides an initial assessment of why these changes took place. Supervised and subpixel classification methods were employed. The results showed an aggregate forest loss of almost 10%, which is approximately 36,000 hectares. Deforestation expanded significantly in the most populous Mayan areas of central Toledo District and along the Guatemalan border. Subpixel classification results showed that in 1999 the most densely forested areas were in northern Toledo District, in the Maya Mountains. James Quinn CSC c/o U.S. EPA - Mid-Continent Ecology Division GIS 6201 Congdon Blvd. Duluth , MN 55804 US Phone: 218-529-5214 Fax: 218-529-5003 E-mail: quinn.james@epa.gov |
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