Visualization in biodiversity research: A case study of Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India

Biodiversity visualization is a process by which diverse data sources varying from cover types, habitats to species inventories are integrated into a single computer environment. The integration affords a far better degree of spatial reasoning and understanding of biodiversity issues than hitherto attended to. We attempt here to integrate satellite data, digital elevation models derived from the toposheets, slope, aspect, elevation data and known information on some elements of biodiversity. The visualization tools were applied for a case study in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, north-east India, a global hotspot of biodiversity. The thematic features included in the visualization are habitats classified using the Landsat thematic mapper (TM) data, plant succession, hotspots of plant diversity, pheasant and takin habitat. The results were 'field tested' for acceptance among the user community. It is concluded that the visualization has a substantial role in furthering biodiversity conservation.