Impact of Fire Frequency on Tree Diversity in Dinder National Park (DNP), Sudan Using Geospatial Technology

Dinder National Park (DNP) lies in the semi-arid area of Sudan. The Park is annually exposed to wildfires, as satellite images show, it is still unclear how fire frequency, seasonality, and intensity interact to influence woody vegetation structure. The study objectives were to assess the role of fire frequency on tree biodiversity using geospatial technology. The Shanon index (H), Simpson index (D), Sorenson index, species richness and equitability (evenness), and satellite data from PROBA-V satellite (2013-2020), Landsat (2020), and MODIS satellite images (2010-2020) were used, analyzed, and interpreted using visual and digital methods of image processing and categorized three levels of fire frequency to clear the influence. The study results from satellite image classification showed that the maximum area burned in the park was 12.8% in 2011 and the minimum area burned was 4.1% in 2016. Management activities were absent. The results showed that fire frequency has adverse consequences for tree diversity, and there was a negative correlation between most of spices and an increase in fire frequency for example, Acacia senegal (Hashab), Acacia seiberana (Kuk), Acacia nilotica (Sunt), and Balanitis aegptiaca (Higleig). Except for Acacia polycantha (kakamout), Terminalia laxiflora (Subagh), Boscia senegalensis (Mukheit), and Anogeissus leiocarpus (Al Sahab). There was a positive correlation. Sterculia setiera (Tar Tar) and Acacia seyal var. Seyal (Talh) were good with medium fire frequency. The study concluded that the differences are moderate overall between different fire frequencies as indicated by the Sorenson index (Table 2) and may not significantly change the vegetation composition in the short term. Still in long term, there may be a change. The study recommended the setting of an integrated fire management plan.