A study on the relationships between man and biological diversity using Remote Sensing data
Shintaro Goto, Kengo Asakura
Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc.
2-3-6 Otemachi Chiyoda-ku. Tokyo 100, Japan
Shunji Murai,Yoahiaki Honda
Institute of Industrial Science University of Tokyo
7-22 Roppongi, Minato -ku, Tokyo 106, Japan
Abstract
The goal of this study is to make the basic data for discussing about the relationships between population problem, food problem, and green house effect.
For this purpose, by using the vegetation Map, we select the potentially arable area. And we try to consider the relationships between the present vegetation diversity and human activity, such as food consumption.
Introduction
The senses by FA0 and UNEP reported that the tropical forest was decreasing by 11,300,000 ha per year between 1981 and 1985. The cause of that is respected to be the cultivation by human. It is pointed out that the decrease of tropical forest is cased directly by the excess of picking charcoal, unsuitable deforestation for business and forest fire.
The background of these causes, there exists a poverty and abrupt population increase, and they are interlocking each other.
In this study, we deal with the relationships between biological diversity and social information, such as population, agriculture productivity and food consumption, by comparing the potentially of agricultural productivity derived form remote sensing data social information.
Data and Methodology
- Data
The data used in this study is largely diverted into tow kinds, such as natural information to make Vegetation Map and social information to consider the relationships between vegetation and human activities.
These data, which has been used in this study, are as follows:
- Natural Information
- Weekly GVI (Global Vegetation Index) data from January 1983 to December 1987.
- Monthly averaged value of temperature, rainfall and moisture from January 1983 to December 1087, provided the Japanese Meteological agency, detected at 2344 observation stations all over the world.
- Bathymetric data
- Social Information
- Population data quoted from world population prospects.
- Agricultural productivity data quoted from production year book.
- Food consumption data quoted from food balance sheet 1971-81 Average.
