An insight on land use and land cover change due to tourism growth in coastal area and its environmental consequences from West Bengal, India

In developing countries, tourism often considered as the tool of economic development. The coastal virgin environment provides lot of opportunities for establishment of tourism industries. Along the coastal tract of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, a number of tourism destinations have been emerged and. Mandarmani-Tajpur area has found as a booming of tourists during last 10-15 years. This study analyse the tourism-led land use change around these destinations during 2009 to 2019 and its environmental consequences. Google Earth satellite images of the study area for 2009 and 2019 have been utilized for LULC classification. Based on the data derived from LULC classification a land use change matrix has been constructed to identify the land use land cover change between 2009 and 2019. The result confirmed that decreased in agriculture land, vegetation cover, aquaculture with water bodies and sand dune. On the other part, current fallow, settlement area and area under tourism related activities have been found in increasing nature. The agriculture lands, current fallow, sand dunes, vegetation cover have been transformed into tourism area because of establishment of hotels and resorts and tourism related enterprises over the dunes, agriculture land current fallows. Hotels and resorts have been constructed by clearing of vegetation cover. Due to flourish of tourism activities within CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone), entire landscape has been fragmented, vegetation cover degenerated, and dune ecology has been destructed. Finally, discussion has indicated to a sustainable tourism development plan for controlling the negative environmental consequences.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the tourism-led land use change and its environmental consequences in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. The research found a decrease in agriculture land, vegetation cover, aquaculture with water bodies, and sand dunes, while an increase in current fallow, settlement area, and area under tourism-related activities. The establishment of hotels and resorts and tourism enterprises has led to the transformation of agriculture lands, current fallows, sand dunes, and vegetation cover into tourism areas, causing negative impacts on the environment.