Changes in quantitative form:
A - in hectares, B - in transition probability matrix
A.
W N
Representation of cover Water 767.16 69.48
classes in 1988 Natural 441.63| 15516.
30000 54.18
25000 - 1995
— 20000 |
a
: 15000 -
8 10000 + B.
5000 Water
0 4 Natural
1 2: 3 4 Seminatural ;
nic 0.0
1995 to 1988 143.6
cover class
Seminatural 8.1] 1192.41| 23003. 462. 24666.21
S A 1988
10.62 Representation of cover
2912.22 31. classes in 1995
1386. 991.08 30000 ZZ
27313.11 46848.1 25000
20000
2
« 15000
2
8 10000
5000
0
1 2.35 4
cover class
Figure 5. Representation of cover classes in 1988 and 1995 and changes of their areas (in ha and 99).
During the 7 year period there were substantial changes in the
nature reserve area. The area under water has widened due to
higher water level on floodplains in 1995. The flood region
embraced lower mire types and is rather remarkable - 70 ha. For
study area presence of big rivers is typical. Other observed trends
characterize mainly weakening of the exploitation of nature
resources.
The area under natural cover classes — only different types of
mires belong to this category — has decreased during study period
caused mainly by transition into seminatural cover class. This
transition is largely caused by confusion in determining forest
types growing on mire and on mineral ground. In order to avoid
this kind of errors, classification under mire mask is needed in the
future.
The seminatural cover class has the greatest stability — 93.396 of
its territory do not change. Forests and natural grasslands
belonging to this category are mainly found in the protected
territory. Clear-cuts as small patches are present outside the nature
reserve only. Paludification of lower land occurs in this area
because the old ditches are not functioning any more. Natural
grasslands have trend to afforestation.
Anthropogenic cover class has decreased due to abandoning of
fields. Approximately half of formerly cultivated lands are
presently fallow lands.
CONCLUSIONS
Satellite data of different timespots can be well used to follow
changes in land cover classes. The integration of satellite data and
GIS technologies (digital maps) allowed us to observe changes in
the spatial — change map — form, and to describe them also
quantitatively. Using of GIS databases facilitated the cartographic
imaging of satellite data and the following analysis of satellite
images. The main trends of development ofthe land cover classes:
afforestation, overgrowing of grasslands with shrubs, increasing
of fallow land, and paludification, were observed and charac-
terized. Classified land cover maps were presented in digital and
analog form. Digital form allows one to supplement maps with the
other GIS coverages, as well as to compare the data with new or
old (classified) satellite data for further (retrospective and
perspective) change analysis.
REFERENCES
Annual Report of Remote Sensing of Landscape, 1996. Ministry
of the Environment, Tallinn. 50 pp.
Annual Report of Remote Sensing of Landscape, 1997. Ministry
of the Environment, Tallinn. 122 pp.
Aaviksoo, K., 1993. Changes of plant cover and land use types
(1950's to 1980's) in three mire reserves and their neighbourhood
in Estonia. Landscape Ecology, 8(4), pp.287-301.
Aaviksoo, K., 1995a. Simulating vegetation dynamics and land
use in a mire landscape using a Markov model. In: Landscape and
Urban Planning, 31, pp. 129-142. Elsevier, The Netherlands.
Aaviksoo, K., 1995b. Vegetation of Endla Nature Reserve classi-
fied on the basis of Landsat TM data. In: Consortium Masingii,
Tartu, pp. 27-36.
Aaviksoo, K., 1998. Remote Sensing of Landscapes. In: Estonian
Environmental Monitoring 1996. Tallinn, Environment Informa-
tion Centre. pp. 123-124.
Aaviksoo, K., Kadarik, H., and K. Móllits, 1997. Vegetation map
of the Endla Nature Reserve. Estonian Nature 10. pp. 400-403 (in
Estonian).
Aaviksoo, K., and T. Dislis 1997. Using Satellite Data and GIS in
Vegetation Mapping. In. Abstracts. GIS - Baltic Sea States ‘97.
Tallinn, pp. 9-10.
Aaviksoo, K., Meiner, A., and K. Sepp. 1996. Abstarcts. Moni-
toring Land Cover and Land Use Changes by Integrating GIS and
Remote Sensing. In: Perspectives of Rural Landscapes in Europe.
Párnu, Estonia, 20-23 June, 1996. pp. 44-45.
Mander, Ü., Aaviksoo, K., Palang, H. and U. Visse. 1996. Land-
scape change and ecological consequences in Estonia in the twen-
tieth century. In: Ecological and landscape consequences of land
use change in Europe proceedings of the first ECNC seminar on
58 Intemational Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII, Part 7, Budapest, 1998
land
1995
licat
Meir
ronn
Cent
Nise
Lan
basii
Esto
12. :
Nise
Envi
Cent
