Analysis of Forest Cover Changes in the Dharchula Alpine Ecosystem, Western Himalayas, India: in the context of the governance of protected areas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52340/ggj.2023.03.02.07Keywords:
Forest Ecosystem, Protected AreasAbstract
The heart of biodiversity conservation initiatives are biosphere reserves, national parks, wildlife reserves, and other protected areas (PAs). PAs are permanent institutions, according to protection policy and practice, although the fragmentation forest habitat indicator is downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD). In the current context, India has 514 wildlife sanctuaries, while the Himalayas have approximately 35 wildlife sanctuaries. However, wildlife sanctuaries in the Himalayan range have not been extensively studied using space technology (such as geospatial techniques), so Dhar Chula Tehsil, which is part of the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India, was chosen as the study area due to the high density of forests and proximity to the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary. This research will aid in tracking changes in wildlife habitats and demonstrating options for greater biodiversity restoration. The examination of land cover and land-use change includes a substantial concentration of forest habitat change. This study seeks to examine changes in the LULC of Dharchula utilising multitemporal satellite data, e.g., Landsat 2 and Sentinel 2b for 1975 and 2020, respectively, to assess the understanding of forest changes at Dhar Chula Tehsil. The adjustments were validated using numerous indices, including the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), the normalised difference vegetation index (RDVI), and the weighted analysis method. As a result, the forest area has expanded marginally over the last five decades, from 130455 hectares to 157140.2 hectares. This is good news for the forest environment.
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