Vegetation cover is one of the key parameters for
monitoring the state and dynamics of ecosystems. African
semi-arid landscapes are especially prone to degradation due
to climate change and increased anthropogenic impact on
different spatial and temporal scales. In this study, a multiscale
method is applied to monitor vegetation cover by
deriving sub-pixel percentages of woody vegetation,
herbaceous vegetation and soil. The approach is comparatively
applied to two semi-arid savannas, one in Namibia and one in
Kenya. The results in eastern and southern Africa
demonstrate the applicability of the method to different semiarid
ecosystems and to different types of remote sensing data.
The presented analysis could show that continuous cover
mapping is a highly suitable concept for semi-arid ecosystems,
as these show gradual transitions rather than distinct borders
between land cover types. Different spatial patterns of
vegetation cover depending on land use practices and
intensities could be revealed
