Bharati, Karshita and Jins, V. J. and Rai, Shiwangi and Majumdar, Rudrodip and Nandy, Subrata and Chettri, Basundhara (2026) Geospatial analysis of land-use and land-cover changes in the Sikkim Himalaya, and insights for sustainable future. In: S. Ghosh et al. (Eds.) Geospatial solutions for ecological challenges and sustainability. Springer, Cham, pp. 107-128.
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Book Chapter - Geospatial Analysis of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes in the Sikkim Himalaya.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (1MB) |
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| Abstract: | Sikkim has witnessed substantial growth in buildings, industries, roads, hydroelectric projects, and the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural uses over the past few decades. This has resulted in significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC), with clear implications for ecosystem services and long-term sustainability. Our study analysed LULC changes between 1998 and 2018 in the East and South districts of Sikkim using multispectral Landsat imagery (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS). We applied supervised classification with the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) and employed post-classification change detection techniques. The findings showed a notable increase in built-up areas (121.53%), forest cover (11.05%), and barren land, while agricultural land decreased by 42.75%. Built-up areas mainly expanded at the expense of agricultural land and vegetation, underscoring the unsustainable trajectory of the ongoing land use patterns. With these findings, we strongly recommend a sustainable planning of future developmental activities by encouraging traditional agricultural and responsible land use practices, while conserving the rich regional biodiversity. |
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| Item Type: | Book Chapter |
| Subjects: | School of Natural and Engineering Sciences > Energy School of Natural and Engineering Sciences > Energy and Environment |
| Divisions: | Schools > Natural Sciences and Engineering |
| Date Deposited: | 26 May 2026 10:08 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jun 2026 08:39 |
| Official URL: | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-03... |
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| Funders: | * |
| Projects: | * |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-12737-2_6 |
| URI: | http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/3387 |
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