Evaluating the conservation state of the ecosystem: An object-based image analysis and CART algorithm approach for central Ecuador.

Ecuadorian ecosystems (EPEs) function as water sources, contain large soil carbon stores and high levels of biodiversity, and support human populations. The EPEs are mainly herbaceous (HP). To inform policy and management and help drive ecological science toward a better understanding of the HP ecosystem, and the relationships among its multiple ecosystem services, we asked: (1) What is the state of the HP regarding its land use/land cover (LULC)?; and (2) Is the HP being pushed away from its natural state or it is regenerating? To answer these questions, we assessed the LULC in central EPEs using Landsat 8 imagery, Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) and a Classification and Regression Trees (CART) algorithm.