Land Cover Classification using Airborne Laser Data for the Tropical Peat Swamp Forest

Abstract

To control and preserve peat swamp forests, which have a significant impact on global warming, it is essential to effectively monitor forest degradation and recovery. This study examined a land cover classification method that considers not only the extent of vegetation but also the vegetation height and density by comparing airborne laser scanning data with data collected from field surveys. The laser scanning data that covered tropical peat swamp forests in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, were obtained in 2007 and 2011. We also calculated the land cover changes from the difference between land cover ratios at the two different time periods after the land cover classification for the study area using the above-mentioned analysis method. Technically, it became clear that although the vegetation in the study area had been said to be degrading and decreasing due to agricultural land developments, it was actually recovering and increasing, judging from the amount of land cover changes during the four years. Thus, this analysis method is effective for clarifying detailed changes in vegetation height and density and further understanding the land cover changes in tropical rainforests, where vegetation grows faster than in cool-temperate and temperate zones.