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Mapping and Quantifying Anthropogenic Disturbances on the Landscape

18 Pages Posted: 6 Jul 2023 Publication Status: Preprint

See all articles by Jordan Brubacher

Jordan Brubacher

Simon Fraser University (SFU)

Margot W. Parkes

University of Northern British Columbia

Chris Buse

Simon Fraser University (SFU)

Tim K. Takaro

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Faculty of Health Sciences

Abstract

Although the quantification of anthropogenic disturbance is important for a variety of governance, management and land use processes, high-resolution disturbance datasets that account for overlapping or cumulative activities are not widely available. This study outlines a set of methods that effectively combines any number of publicly available datasets into a single index, each one characterizing a human activity that is perceived to leave a negative impact on the environment. Two disturbance indices were produced: one that utilized an equal weighting of the variables, and the other that utilized a weights matrix to derive unique weights for each variable. An analysis of the two maps found differences between the two approaches to be minimal. The methods outlined in this paper, and the accompanying disturbance maps of British Columbia, offer an important contribution to the growing suite of tools needed to understand and respond to the multiple forms of human activity impacting the environment at different scales.

Keywords: footprint, HUMAN, GIS, cumulative, impacts, ecohealth, planetary health

Suggested Citation

Brubacher, Jordan and Parkes, Margot W. and Buse, Chris and Takaro, Tim K., Mapping and Quantifying Anthropogenic Disturbances on the Landscape. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4484478 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4484478

Jordan Brubacher

Simon Fraser University (SFU) ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, V5A1S6
Canada

Margot W. Parkes

University of Northern British Columbia ( email )

3333 University Way
Prince George, V29 4Z9
United States

Chris Buse

Simon Fraser University (SFU) ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, V5A1S6
Canada

Tim K. Takaro (Contact Author)

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Faculty of Health Sciences ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Canada

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