Mapping rangeland ecosystems vulnerability to lantana camara invasion in semi-arid savannahs in South Africa
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African journal of ecology Wiley
Abstract
We mapped and modelled the potential areas vulnerable to Lantana camara (L. camara)
invasion in semi-arid savannah ecosystems in the communal lands of Bushbuckridge
and Kruger National Park, South Africa. Specifically, we modelled potentially vulnerable areas based on remotely sensed data and environmental variables. The Maximal
Entropy (Maxent) algorithm was used to model the vulnerable area. The reliability
of the modelled results was assessed using Skills Statistic (TSS), Area Under Curve
(AUC) and Kappa statistics. According to the results, Bushbuckridge communal lands
are more susceptible to L. camara invasions than Kruger National Park. The risk of
L. camara invasion in the study site was modelled with high accuracy (AUC score of
0.95) using the best model (Model 7), which is a composite of all model variables
(remote sensing and environmental variables). The spatial distribution maps derived
from Maxent showed that L. camara was more likely to invade communal lands than
protected areas. Using remotely sensed spectral indices as standalone model variables (Model 4) showed the lowest accuracy, with an AUC score of 0.85. Overall, model
input variables such as elevation had a significant influence on the spatial distribution
of L. camara in the study area.
Description
Keywords
environmental variables, invasive plants encroachment, L. camara, rangeland ecosystems, semi-arid environments
Citation
Dube, T., Maluleke, X. G., & Mutanga, O. (2022). Mapping rangeland ecosystems vulnerability to Lantana camara invasion in semi?arid savannahs in South Africa. African Journal of Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12951