Comparison of NDVI and SAVI in three plant communities with different sampling intensity (Case Study: Choghakhour Lake Rangelands in Charmahal & Bakhtiri)

Identifying and evaluating rangeland ecosystems is the first step in managing these resources. Without knowledge of rangeland condition, no management plan can be developed for it. For this purpose, three sites with different dominant species were selected for sampling. In each site, 30 sampling units of 900 m2 were determined along three transects and sampling quadrates were established in these units. After correction and processing, the NDVI and SAVI indices were extracted from Landsat 8 images, and their correlation with vegetation cover percentage and production was calculated. The results showed that the correlation of indices with the vegetation cover percentage and production was significant in each of the three sites. In each site, the NDVI had the most correlation with dominant vegetation form, while SAVI reduced the effect of soil and was more related with low vegetation cover species. This is related to the SAVI equation and this index could reduce the effect of soil. The broadleaf species had the highest correlation with the NDVI index due to the plant structure and more reflection.