Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessing the trends of land cover dynamics and its major driving forces in the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary Kashmir, Himalaya

  • Published:
GeoJournal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Globally, land cover change poses a serious threat to biodiversity and climate change. Anthropogenic actions have been the dominant force among all natural and human forces shaping the Land use and Land cover, causing dramatic changes to the global Landuse and Land cover. The Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kashmir Himalayas has undergone substantial changes over the past few decades, but lacks extensive assessment. A multispectral remotely sensed dataset was used to assess changes in land use and land cover of the Sanctuary over almost 27 years (1993–2021). A maximum likelihood algorithm was used to classify Landsat images for the years 1993, 2006, and 2021 and geometric correction were rectified in Earth Resources Data Analysis System (2014) software. The results of the present study indicate that the study area has undergone major changes between 1993 and 2020. Forest and snow-covered areas have shrunk, while non-forested areas like grassland, barren, scrub, built-up areas, and river beds have shown positive growth in the sanctuary. Within the studied time period, a total loss of 5.9 km2 was recorded for the forest areas and 1.5 km2 for the snow covered areas. The main threats driving the Land use and Land cover change in the Sanctuary were grazing pressure, natural resource exploitation, poaching, and development projects. The results of this study may potentially provide information to planners, and decision-makers for the sustainable management of natural resources and implementing important management decisions in order to preserve the rich biodiversity of the Sanctuary.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions but can be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Agarwala, M., DeFries, R. S., Qureshi, Q., & Jhala, Y. V. (2016). Changes in the dry tropical forests in Central India with human use. Regional Environmental Change, 16(1), 5–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad, F., ul Hassan, Z., Farooq, S., & Shah, J. A. (2015). Assessments of land use/land cover change in Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Kashmir. Asian Journal of Earth Sciences, 8(3), 64–73.

  • Aneaus, S., Rashid, I., Srivastava, P. K., & Charoo, S. A. (2023). Quantifying the landscape changes within and outside the Dachigam National Park, Kashmir Himalaya, India using observations and models. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 195(10), 1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batar, A. K., Watanabe, T., & Kumar, A. (2017). Assessment of land-use/land-cover change and forest fragmentation in the Garhwal Himalayan Region of India. Environments, 4(2), 34.

  • Batunacun, Nendel, C., Hu, Y., & Lakes, T. (2018). Land‐use change and land degradation on the Mongolian Plateau from 1975 to 2015—A case study from Xilingol, China. Land Degradation & Development, 29(6), 1595-1606. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2948

  • Bhat, A. H., Mir, A. H., & Charoo, S. A. (2022). Study of avifauna of rajparian wildlife sanctuary, Kashmir Himalaya: Diversity, Status And Seasonal Variation. Journal of Mountain Research, 17(1), 137–151.

  • Bhat, A. H., Mir, A. H., & Charoo, S. A. (2023a). Influence of habitat heterogeneity on avian diversity in the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary, Kashmir Himalaya. The Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology, 84(1), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhat, A. H., Mir, A. H., & Charoo, S. A. (2023b). Influence of habitat heterogeneity on the elevational distribution and guild structure of birds in the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary, Kashmir Himalaya. Ornithology Research, 31(1), 51–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhat, B. A., Ahmad, R., Fazili, M. F., Haq, I. U., & Bhat, G. A. (2020). Threatened fauna of Jammu and Kashmir state. Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State, 997–1009.

  • Caravaggio, N. (2020). A global empirical re-assessment of the Environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation. Forest Policy and Economics, 119, 102282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chakravarty, S., Ghosh, S. K., Suresh, C. P., Dey, A. N., & Shukla, G. (2012). Deforestation: Causes, effects and control strategies. Global Perspectives on Sustainable Forest Management, 1, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.5772/33342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Congalton, R. G. (1991). A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 37(1), 35–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dendup, P., Wangdi, L., Jamtsho, Y., Kuenzang, P., Gyeltshen, D., Tashi, T., & Tshering, B. (2021). Bird diversity and conservation threats in JigmeDorji National Park, Bhutan. Global Ecology and Conservation, 30, e01771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, M. E., Reid, J. L., Holland, M. B., Drew, J. G., & Zahawi, R. A. (2020). How feasible are global forest restoration commitments? Conservation Letters, 13(3), e12700. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fayaz, A., Shafiq, M. U., Singh, H., & Ahmed, P. (2020). Assessment of spatiotemporal changes in land use/land cover of North Kashmir Himalayas from 1992 to 2018. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 6, 1189–1200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fayaz, A., Shafiq, M. U., Singh, H., & Ahmed, P. (2020). Assessment of spatiotemporal changes in land use/land cover of North Kashmir Himalayas from 1992 to 2018. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 6, 1189–1200.

  • Ganaie, T. A., Sahana, M., & Hashia, H. (2018). Assessing and monitoring the human influence on water quality in response to land transformation within Wular environs of Kashmir Valley. Geo Journal, 83, 1091–1113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganaie, T. A., Jamal, S., & Ahmad, W. S. (2021a). Changing land use/land cover patterns and growing human population in Wular catchment of Kashmir Valley, India. Geo Journal, 86, 1589–1606.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganaie, T. A., Tali, J. A., ul Shafiq, M., Singh, H., & Ahmed, P. (2021). Mapping Seasonal Variability and Spatio‐Temporal Trends of Water Quality Parameters in Wular Lake (Kashmir Valley). Geographic Information Science for Land Resource Management, 161–190

  • Gounaridis, D., Symeonakis, E., Chorianopoulos, I., & Koukoulas, S. (2018). Incorporating density in spatiotemporal land use/cover change patterns: The case of Attica, Greece. Remote Sensing, 10(7), 1034. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10071034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iftekhar, M. S., & Hoque, A. F. (2005). Causes of forest encroachment: An analysis of Bangladesh. GeoJournal, 62, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-005-7917-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Islam, K., Jashimuddin, M., Nath, B., & Nath, T. K. (2018). Land use classification and change detection by using multi-temporal remotely sensed imagery: The case of Chunati wildlife sanctuary, Bangladesh. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 21(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrs.2016.12.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Islam, M. R., Khan, M. N. I., Khan, M. Z., & Roy, B. (2021). A three decade assessment of forest cover changes in Nijhum dwip national park using remote sensing and GIS. Environmental Challenges, 4, 100162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambin, E. F., Turner, B. L., Geist, H. J., Agbola, S. B., Angelsen, A., Bruce, J. W., ... & Xu, J. (2001). The causes of land-use and land-cover change: Moving beyond the myths. Global Environmental Change, 11(4), 261–269.

  • Lizarazo, I. (2014). Accuracy assessment of object-based image classification: Another STEP. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 35(16), 6135–6156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lone, S. A., & Mayer, I. A. (2019). Geo-spatial analysis of land use/land cover change and its impact on the food security in District Anantnag of Kashmir Valley. GeoJournal, 84, 785–794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malik, M. I. (2012). Analysis of population growth and land use change in Anantnag town of South Kashmir using remote sensing and geographical information system. Journal of Experimental Sciences, 3(5), 23–27.

  • Mamnun, M., & Hossen, S. (2020). Spatio-temporal analysis of land cover changes in the evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests: A case study in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. International Journal of Forestry, Ecology and Environment, 2(2), 87–99. https://doi.org/10.18801/ijfee.020220.10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misra, S., Maikhuri, R. K., Kala, C. P., Rao, K. S., & Saxena, K. G. (2008). Wild leafy vegetables: A study of their subsistence dietetic support to the inhabitants of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 4, 1–9.

  • Oluwajuwon, T. V., Alo, A. A., Ogana, F. N., & Adekugbe, O. A. (2021). Forest cover dynamics of a lowland rainforest in southwestern Nigeria using GIS and remote sensing techniques. Journal of Geographic Information System, 13(2), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandit, M. K., Sodhi, N. S., Koh, L. P., Bhaskar, A., & Brook, B. W. (2007). Unreported yet massive deforestation driving loss of endemic biodiversity in Indian Himalaya. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16, 153–163.

  • Rasool, R., Fayaz, A., ul Shafiq, M., Singh, H., & Ahmed, P. (2021). Land use land cover change in Kashmir Himalaya: Linking remote sensing with an indicator based DPSIR approach. Ecological Indicators, 125, 107447.

  • Rawat, J. S., & Kumar, M. (2015). Monitoring land use/cover change using remote sensing and GIS techniques: A case study of Hawalbagh block, district Almora, Uttarakhand, India. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 18(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrs.2015.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reza, A. A., & Hasan, M. K. (2019). Forest biodiversity and deforestation in Bangladesh: The latest update. Forest Degradation Around the World, 1–19.

  • Romijn, E., Lantican, C. B., Herold, M., Lindquist, E., Ochieng, R., Wijaya, A., ... & Verchot, L. (2015). Assessing change in national forest monitoring capacities of 99 tropical countries. Forest Ecology and Management, 352, 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.06.003

  • Sangermano, F., Toledano, J., & Eastman, J. R. (2012). Land cover change in the Bolivian Amazon and its implications for REDD+ and endemic biodiversity. Landscape ecology, 27, 571–584. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9710-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafiq, M. U., Ramzan, S., Ahmed, P., Mahmood, R., & Dimri, A. P. (2019). Assessment of present and future climate change over Kashmir Himalayas, India. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 137, 3183–3195.

  • Sharma, E., Molden, D., Wester, P., & Shrestha, R. M. (2016). The Hindu Kush Himalayan monitoring and assessment programme: Action to sustain a global asset. Mountain Research and Development, 36(2), 236–239.

  • Turner, B. L. (1994). Local faces, global flows: The role of land use and land cover in global environmental change. Land Degradation & Development, 5(2), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3400050204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verburg, P. H., & Chen, Y. (2000). Spatial explorations of land use change and grain production in China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 82(1–3), 333–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00236-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors highly acknowledge all the persons who helped to carry out the research especially Nisar Ahmad, Zubair Ahmad and Muzamil ahmad. We are thankful to the Department of Remote sensing and environment for their help in completing the research.

Funding

The study was self financed.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Kashmir, 190006, India

    Aadil Hussain Bhat, Tariq Ahmad Bhat & Altaf Hussain Mir

Authors
  1. Aadil Hussain Bhat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tariq Ahmad Bhat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Altaf Hussain Mir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aadil Hussain Bhat.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not required.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bhat, A.H., Bhat, T.A. & Mir, A.H. Assessing the trends of land cover dynamics and its major driving forces in the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary Kashmir, Himalaya. GeoJournal 89, 101 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-024-11109-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-024-11109-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation