Analysis of coastal land use/land cover changes in the Indian Sunderbans using remotely sensed data

The world's largest mangrove ecosystem, the Sunderbans is experiencing multidimensional threats of degradation. The present study was aimed to understand these problems and search for proper remedies by applying suitable remote sensing technologies. South-western parts of Indian Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve had been chosen for assessment of land use/ land cover changes in between 1975 and 2006 by using multitemporal Landsat data. Results indicated considerable reduction of open mangrove stands and associated biodiversity mainly in the forest-habitation interference zones of Sunderbans. On the contrary, increase in the coverage of dense mangroves in the reserved forests had been observed indicating the existence of proper centralized management regimes. Overall, a cumulative loss of approximately 0.42% of its original mangrove cover in between 1975 and 2006 had been estimated for this part of the Sunderbans which was at parity with the findings of other studies in the Sunderbans or similar mangrove ecosystems of the tropics. Expansion of non agricultural lands in the last two decades was found to be related with the growth of new settlements, tourism infrastructure, and facilities. This transformation was attributed to the shifting of local peoples' interest from traditional forestry and subsistence farming towards alternative occupations like shrimp culture, coastal tourism, and commercial fishing although environmentally hazardous livelihood activities like collection of prawn seeds along the riverbanks were still persistent.