A satellite - based approach for land cover/use changes in Acheron River catchment, (Greece)

Mediterranean landscape has undergone many significant changes during last decades. Especially river catchments are among the threatened landscapes in the world, mainly due to human activities and land cover changes. This description demonstrates the case of Acheron River catchment, which is a typical of many Mediterranean catchments cases. Human activities, through its impact on land cover and use, affect this ecological succession at various degrees in the whole catchment area. The proposed analysis focuses on the use of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which can provide important information in terms of vegetation productivity and status, which represents one of the most sensitive landscape components to environmental degradation. Emphasis is given to the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of land cover/use changes for the period 1984 - 2011 with Landsat-TM imagery. Land use disturbances in the catchment's area decreased habitat integrity, with maximum habitat integrity recorded in the upper river reaches, known as the Straits of Acheron, through a narrow and magnificent gorge created by mountains. Human interventions have changed the river beds, increased landscape fragmentation, and led to the degradation and loss of wetland habitats. Additionally the current research could be a valuable tool for the river managers to develop area-specific policies that minimize human influences.