Analysis of changes in macrocuenca vegetation covers Pacific 2000-2009

Abstract

In recent years the vegetation cover of the Pacific macrocuenca have undergone significant changes due to indiscriminate and existing anthropic interventions in ecosystems, thus causing major changes in the availability of natural resources in different habitats. Considering the above situation a multi-temporal analysis of changes in vegetation cover in the Pacific macrocuenca was conducted over a period of nine years from 2000 to 2009. In the multitemporal analysis of satellite images Landsat TM and ETM + program were used, the which they were interpreted visually monitor screens compositions based on pre-designed color, false color, RGB 4, 5, 3 (red, gray, blue). The images were processed using the (Erdas 9.2) software which allowed generate format files (.img) and transform them to vector or distinctive polygons, which were classified according to the methodology cover classification Corine Land Cober at 1:100,000. In the analysis of data obtained Markov chains, which allowed us to determine coverage areas that changed and those that remained stable in a given period were used. The forest cover of the macrocuenca Pacific during the period under review showed a reduction in its area of 173,718.30 hectares corresponding to 3.3% of the initially registered in 2000 surface.