Abstract
This section investigates a proposed space-based application for South Africa: using remote sensing data to identify alien trees located in catchment areas in the Western Cape. The various satellite datasets used for the analysis are discussed and then the identification process is defined. Once a forest of alien trees is identified, calculations are performed to quantify how much water is being lost to these trees. The result of a sample calculation is that a small section of alien forest consumes approximately ten million litres a day, comparable to the amount of fresh water a medium-sized desalination plant can consume.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Dye P. and Jarmain C. (2004). Water use by black wattle (Acacia mearnsii): implications for the link between removal of invading trees and catchment streamflow response. S. Afr. J. Sci. 100, 40–44.
- 2.
Gorgens, A.H.M. and Van Wilgen, B.W., 2004. Invasive alien plants and water resources in South Africa: current understanding, predictive ability and research challenges: Working for Water. South African Journal of Science, 100(1–2), pp. 27–33.
- 3.
Le Maitre, D.C., Forsyth, G.G., Dzikiti, S. and Gush, M.B., 2016. Estimates of the impacts of invasive alien plants on water flows in South Africa. Water Sa, 42(4), pp. 659–672.
- 4.
Water Requirements for Eucalyptus Plantation, nd, Available at www.eucalyptus.com.br/eucaexpert/Pergunta%20705.doc.
- 5.
Forestry Facts, n.d. available at https://www.sabie.co.za/about/forestry/.
- 6.
Gorgens and Van Wilgen (2004).
- 7.
Bradley, B.A., 2014. Remote detection of invasive plants: a review of spectral, textural and phenological approaches. Biological invasions, 16(7), pp. 1411–1425.
- 8.
Albaugh, J.M., Dye, P.J. and King, J.S., 2013. Eucalyptus and water use in South Africa. International Journal of Forestry Research .
- 9.
Lu, L., Kuenzer, C., Wang, C., Guo, H. and Li, Q., 2015. Evaluation of three MODIS-derived vegetation index time series for dryland vegetation dynamics monitoring. Remote Sensing, 7(6), pp. 7597.
- 10.
Schmidt, K.S. and Skidmore, A.K., 2003. Spectral discrimination of vegetation types in a coastal wetland. Remote Sens. Environ, 85, 92–108.
- 11.
Asner, G.P.; Martin, R.E.; Anderson, C.B.; Knapp, D.E., 2015 Quantifying forest canopy traits: Imaging spectroscopy versus field survey. Remote Sens. Environ, 158, 15–27.
- 12.
- 13.
Stropp, J., Ladle, R.J., Malhado, M., Ana, C., Hortal, J., Gaffuri, J., H Temperley, W., Olav Skøien, J. and Mayaux, P., 2016. Mapping ignorance: 300 years of collecting flowering plants in Africa. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 25(9), pp. 1085–1096.
- 14.
Hellmann, C., Werner, C. and Oldeland, J., 2016. A spatially explicit dual-isotope approach to map regions of plant-plant interaction after exotic plant invasion. PloS one, 11(7), p. e0159403.
- 15.
Guo, Y., Graves, S., Flory, S. L., & Bohlman, S. (2018). Hyperspectral Measurement of Seasonal Variation in the Coverage and Impacts of an Invasive Grass in an Experimental Setting. Remote Sensing, 10(5), 784.
- 16.
Garzon-Lopez, C. X., Hattab, T., Skowronek, S., Aerts, R., Ewald, M., Feilhauer, H., … & Schmidtlein, S. (2018). The DIARS toolbox: a spatially explicit approach to monitor alien plant invasions through remote sensing. Research Ideas and Outcomes, 4, e25301.
- 17.
Cape Nature. 2016, Field Guide to Wild Flower Harvesting.
- 18.
Morris, T.L. and Cramer M.D. (2011). Ecophysiological traits associated with the competitive ability of invasive alien plants. Diversity and Distributions, 17, 898–910.
- 19.
Kruger, F.J. and Bigalke R.C. (1984). Fire in Fynbos, Ecological effects of fire in South African ecosystems. Ecological studies, 48, 67–114. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
- 20.
- 21.
Mamders, P.T. and Richardson D.M. (1992). Colonization of Cape Fynbos species by Forest species. Forest Ecology and Management, 48, 277–293.
- 22.
- 23.
Sentinel Online. 2018. User Guides—Sentinel-1 SAR—Resolution. [ONLINE] Available at: https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/user-guides/sentinel-1-sar/resolutions. [Accessed 13 June 2018].
- 24.
DAAC. 2018. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). [ONLINE] Available at: https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions-and-measurements/modis/. [Accessed 13 June 2018].
- 25.
Forestry. 2006. Sabie. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.sabie.co.za/about/forestry/. [Accessed 13 June 2018].
- 26.
Cape Nature. 2016. Field Guide to Wild Flower Harvesting.
- 27.
Gush, M.B., Dye, P.J., Geldenhuys, C.J. and Bulcock, H.H., 2011. Volumes and efficiencies of water-use within selected indigenous and introduced tree species in South Africa: Current results and potential applications. In: Proceedings of the 5th Natural Forests and Woodlands Symposium, Richards Bay, 11–14 April.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wilson, J., Tanner, M. (2020). Estimation of the Impact of Alien Trees in the Cape Town Water Crisis Using Satellite Data. In: Froehlich, A. (eds) Space Fostering African Societies. Southern Space Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32930-3_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32930-3_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-32929-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-32930-3
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)