Landscape Dynamics

Landscape dynamics refer to a broad suite of ecological, geomorphological, and anthropogenic processes occurring across broad spatial scales. This Vital Sign ranked in the top ten for all fourteen Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) parks. The need to monitor landscape dynamics is critical to park managers for many reasons, and can be described in four main categories:  

Building from the efforts of IM Networks and other agencies, the CUPN will develop a protocol in FY2008 using 3-4 test parks. The Network will select 5-10 core themes that pertain to all 14 Network parks, and a few themes will be customized to address individual park needs. NatureServe will assist with the development of landscape integrity tools.

The CUPN does not envision high costs pertaining to data acquisition, rather making use of existing data sources. Two parks have partially completed studies, ABLI and MACA. The ABLI study was conducted through a cooperative agreement with Western Kentucky University during 1999. In 2001, Mammoth Cave National Park funded a land-use analysis associated with aquatic threats for the southern portion of the park’s watershed, in cooperation with the USGS. Anderson Level III classification was used. Other agency efforts, such as the National Land Cover Dataset, (currently at Anderson Level II for state of Kentucky) will be reviewed to determine suitability for this project.