Quantifying Wetland Habitat Interspersion Using Drone Imagery

Wetland bird species are affected negatively by increases in invasive plant species in their habitat. The National Audubon Society compiled Wigwam Bay State Wildlife Area marsh drone imagery for two years and needed a marsh bird habitat model with interspersion rates at selected sites. The interspersion and juxtaposition index (IJI) method from the landscapemetrics library was used to establish a baseline and evaluate habitat change between the summers of 2018 and 2019. The landscape level metric results showed small increases in interspersion for eight of the nine study areas. However, at the class level, interspersion for Emergent Vegetation decreased in all but one study area, suggesting that despite the two-year positive trend at the landscape level, invasive plants increased from 2018 to 2019.