Mapping Invasive Highbush Blueberry in Richmond Nature Park: A Multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Spectral Analysis Approach for Peatland Conservation

Located in the Lulu Island Bog, this critical peat ecosystem faces significant ecological threats from invasive species that disrupt native vegetation communities and alter hydrological processes.

By analyzing seasonal NDVI variations across multiple time periods (February-November 2023) and incorporating red-band dominance filters to capture characteristic fall senescence patterns. In this study a habitat suitability model is developed that effectively predicts blueberry presence within the study area. The methodology yielded a strong positive correlation between predicted suitability scores and field-verified blueberry coverage (r = 0.81, p < 0.001), with the model explaining 65.5% of the variance in blueberry distribution patterns (adjusted R² = 0.64).