| Understanding the drivers of landscape change is vital for assessing the total Earth system and the impacts of ecological and anthropogenic changes at global scale. Since rangelands cover nearly a half of the global land surface, and because a large part of rangelands are located in semi-arid ecosystems, they serve as critical land cover types for determining biogeochemical cycles and energy and gas fluxes. Satellite reflectance data is often used to inventory biophysical materials and man-made features on Earth's surface. However, few studies have examined the utility of remote sensing for analyzing human influence on grasslands and other range cover types in brittle, semi-arid ecosystems. By integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems, and census data, this thesis assesses the impact of anthropogenic stress in a semi-arid ecosystem and identifies several key drivers of land use and land cover change in a dynamically growing southeastern Arizona community. In addition, a framework for a rangeland decision support system is discussed as a value-added tool for helping ranchers, land managers, and land use planners to determine rangeland health and forage levels, and for developing improved and accessible grazing plans for protection of lands from overuse. |
