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Assessing vegetation health in dry tropical forests of Rajasthan using remote sensing

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Abstract

The rich vegetation areas with a variety of biodiversity are designated under categories of protected areas. Protected areas on Earth are the biomes where the elements of nature function together and maintain the life cycle. These protected areas include forest cover, rivers, waterbodies, mangroves, etc. which are the origin of ecology and biodiversity and provide natural resources utilized for human needs. Maintaining protected area is an essential aspect of managing the forest covers and a key strategy for combating the negative effects of biodiversity loss and fragmentation. The research aims to assess the vegetation health in the protected areas with NDVI using remote sensing. The paper also explores the factors for vegetation degradation and related habitat areas. The decline in vegetation quality, related species variety, and effect on their habitat areas are checked with NDVI results. The protected areas are subjected to various anthropogenic pressures, including grazing, forest fire, and wood harvesting. The paper highlights the need for effective management strategies to mitigate the identified challenges and ensure the long-term conservation and sustainability of the protected areas. This will ensure more habitat availability, healthy vegetation, genetic exchange between species populations, and a reduction in human-wildlife conflict. The findings of this paper can inform the development of more effective management strategies to protect and conserve these valuable ecosystems.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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  1. Architecture and Planning Department, MNIT, Jaipur, 302017, India

    Garima Toor, Neha Goyal Tater & Tarush Chandra

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  1. Garima Toor
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Toor, G., Tater, N.G. & Chandra, T. Assessing vegetation health in dry tropical forests of Rajasthan using remote sensing. Appl Geomat 16, 77–89 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-023-00541-8

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