Performance analysis of a remotely-sensed leakiness index for rangeland function assessment in semi-steppe rangelands of Isfahan province

In this study the performance of the Leakiness Index (LI) for assessing rangeland landscape function has been analyzed using TM 2009 satellite image in semi-steppe rangelands of Boin- Miandasht town, Isfahan province. LI values range from 0 to 1 which indicate non-leaky and leaky landscapes, respectively. In this research, the study area was divided into 16 sub-catchments using DEM map extracted from a 1:25000 topographic map and LI index was then calculated based on the PD54 vegetation index in LI V.4 software environment for each sub-catchment. Results showed that LI value for the whole area was 0.08 which indicates that rangeland functionality in this area is high. LI index varied across the sub-catchments from about 0.04 to more than 0.2 in the region. According to the regression analysis results, the relationships between LI and PD54 index were significant at 99% confidence level. As a result, high performance of LI index in mountainous rangelands of the study area would mean that this index has capability for rangeland function analysis and it can provide useful information for land managers in rehabilitation practices in broad-scale rangeland landscapes.