Spatial characterisation of vegetation diversity in groundwater-dependent ecosystems using in-situ and sentinel-2 msi satellite data

Abstract

Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) are under threat from groundwater overabstraction, which significantly impacts their conservation and sustainable management. Although the socio-economic significance of GDEs is understood, their ecosystem services and ecological significance (e.g., biodiversity hotspots) in arid environments remains understudied. Therefore, under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, characterizing or identifying biodiversity hotspots in GDEs improves their management and conservation. In this study, we present the first attempt towards the spatial characterization of vegetation diversity in GDEs within the Khakea-Bray Transboundary Aquifer. Following the Spectral Variation Hypothesis (SVH), we used multispectral remotely sensed data (i.e., Sentinel-2 MSI) to characterize the vegetation diversity.