Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Remote Sensing for Monitoring Rangeland Dynamics in the Altai Mountain Region

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with remote sensing capabilities to monitor rangeland dynamics could lead to more acceptable, efficient, and beneficial rangeland management schemes for stakeholders of grazing systems. We contrasted pastoralists’ perception of summer pasture quality in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) metrics obtained from Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite sensor. The spatial relationship between satellite-based assessment of the grassland quality and on-the-ground evaluation by local herders was first assessed for a single year using 49, 1 × 1 km grassland blocks sampled in July 2013. Herder-derived forage value was positively and strongly (63% of variance explained) related to satellite-derived NDVI values (MODIS 1 km monthly data, MOD13A3) as well as field estimates of % vegetation cover (62% explained) and to a lesser degree to vegetation height (28% explained). Herders’ multi-year perception (i.e., recall ability) was also contrasted with satellite observations of their herding areas over the period of 2006–2016 during which NDVI temporal anomaly explained >11% of variance in estimates of pasture quality recalled. Few herders in Kazakhstan could recall pasture conditions, most herders in Russia and China could but inconsistently (4 and 7% variation explained, respectively), whereas most herders in Mongolia could recall pasture conditions in strong agreement with NDVI anomaly (30% variation explained), patterns reflecting herders’ regional dependence on herding as a livelihood. Corroboration of herder-derived estimates and satellite-derived vegetation indices creates opportunity for re-expression of satellite data in map form as TEK-derived indices more compatible with herder perceptions.