<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Large trees play several vital roles in the Angkor monuments landscape. They protect biodiversity, enhance the tourism experience, and provide various ecosystem services to local residents. A clear understanding of forest composition and distribution of individual species, as well as timely monitoring of changes, is necessary for conservation of these trees. using traditional field work, obtaining this sort of data is time-consuming and labour-intensive. This research investigates classification of very high resolution remote sensing data as a tool for efficient analyses. QuickBird satellite imagery was used to clarify the tree species community in and around Preah Khan temple, to elucidate differences in ecological traits among the three dominant species <italic>(Dipterocarpus alatus, Lagerstroemia calyculata</italic> and <italic>Tetrameles nudiflora),</italic> and to identify crowns of the dominant species.Population structures of trees were determined using a 14.26ha study plot. Species name, DBH, height, height under the crown and crown area were recorded for all trees over 40 cm in DBH. Tree locations were also recorded so as to provide references for the imagery analysis. Ecological traits of the dominant species were estimated using regressions by an expanded allometric equation for both large and small trees, based on DBH, height, height under the crown and crown width.The total number of species in the study plot was 45. From a spatial perspective, the three dominant species over 100 cm in DBH were segregated from each other. <italic>D. alatus, L. calyculata</italic> and <italic>T. nudiflora</italic> were concentrated, respectively, along the approach to the temple, near the centre of the complex, and on the walls of the monument. Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) conducted using QuickBird satellite imagery, showed that crowns of <italic>D. alatus</italic> were largely determined by maximum of NIR layer and mean of digital number in panchromatic layer. Differences in the parameters for both asymptotic height and spatial distribution among the dominant species, result from differences in ecological traits, and enhance the value of the tourism resource by providing a dramatic shift of forest scenery that can be enjoyed by visitors to the monument.</abstract>

Large trees play several vital roles in the Angkor monuments landscape. They protect biodiversity, enhance the tourism experience, and provide various ecosystem services to local residents. A clear understanding of forest composition and distribution of individual species, as well as timely monitoring of changes, is necessary for conservation of these trees. using traditional field work, obtaining this sort of data is time-consuming and labour-intensive. This research investigates classification of very high resolution remote sensing data as a tool for efficient analyses. QuickBird satellite imagery was used to clarify the tree species community in and around Preah Khan temple, to elucidate differences in ecological traits among the three dominant species (Dipterocarpus alatus, Lagerstroemia calyculata and Tetrameles nudiflora), and to identify crowns of the dominant species.Population structures of trees were determined using a 14.26ha study plot. Species name, DBH, height, height under the crown and crown area were recorded for all trees over 40 cm in DBH. Tree locations were also recorded so as to provide references for the imagery analysis. Ecological traits of the dominant species were estimated using regressions by an expanded allometric equation for both large and small trees, based on DBH, height, height under the crown and crown width.The total number of species in the study plot was 45. From a spatial perspective, the three dominant species over 100 cm in DBH were segregated from each other. D. alatus, L. calyculata and T. nudiflora were concentrated, respectively, along the approach to the temple, near the centre of the complex, and on the walls of the monument. Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) conducted using QuickBird satellite imagery, showed that crowns of D. alatus were largely determined by maximum of NIR layer and mean of digital number in panchromatic layer. Differences in the parameters for both asymptotic height and spatial distribution among the dominant species, result from differences in ecological traits, and enhance the value of the tourism resource by providing a dramatic shift of forest scenery that can be enjoyed by visitors to the monument.

Potential of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for Mapping Distribution and Evaluating Ecological Characteristics of Tree Species at the Angkor Monument, Cambodia

Faculty of Informatics, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, Onaridai 4-1, Wakaba-ku, Chiba 265-8501, Japan

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Tohoku Gakuin University, Tenjinzawa 2-1-1, Izumi-Ku, Sendai 981-3193, Japan

Faculty of Education, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8507, Japan

Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan

Authority for Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap, Bangkoung Village, Ampil District, Siem Reap Town, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

Journal of Landscape Ecology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Large trees play several vital roles in the Angkor monuments landscape. They protect biodiversity, enhance the tourism experience, and provide various...

Potential of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for Mapping Distribution and Evaluating Ecological Characteristics of Tree Species at the Angkor Monument, Cambodia

Published Online: Jan 29, 2015

Page range: 49 - 59

Received: Apr 05, 2010

Accepted: Nov 05, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jlecol-2014-0021

© 2015 Tomita et al.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.