The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico is an important site for the maintenance of biodiversity in the Southwest, and a center for the study of the effects of global change on aridland ecosystems. Thirty-two spectral classes were derived from unsupervised classification and grouped into 13 map units based on similar vegetation composition and spatial relationships.
Map units can reflect single cover types, or transitions that combine two or more.
An annotated map legend provides details on species composition and structure along with known major inclusions of other types. To meet future needs for even higher resolution maps in management and research, new approaches will be needed that take advantage of new technologies.