Human Impacts on the Landcover Change of the Inle Watershed in Myanmar

Abstract

The land cover of this basin showed the changes clearly. In 1990, closed forests were found in northern edge, eastern and southwestern part of the watershed area, near Pinlaung range, Kyauktalone range and Pindaya-Ywangan area, however, in 2000, these closed forests were changed to open forest, scrub grassland, and agriculture. In some part of the watershed area, near Taunggyi, scrub land was changed into open forest because of the reforestation program. Agriculture extension occurred in the lake watershed area especially in western and northwestern part of the lake, near Kalaw-Aung Ban, Heho Valley, and Thamakhan Plain. One of the unique characteristic of Inle Lake is hydroponic cultivation. Besides, tomato cultivation is an important economy of Inle Lake. This type of cultivation is practiced on the naturally floating island and it is effected the water surface area of the Inle Lake in the following ways such as after using the old floating garden islands, they are decomposed to the lake bottom and the lake will be shallower, and the extension of floating garden cultivation causes more shrinkage to the water surface area in the study area. The floating garden area was increased from 1990 to 2010 years. On the other side, water surface area is decreased from 1990 to 2010 year because it is influenced by climatic condition, extension of floating garden, and population growth of the study area.