Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes represent anthropogenic transformation of natural landscape.These changes are an important tool in developing strategies for the management of natural resources as well as monitoring environmental changes. LULC mapping and monitoring is required to understand the causes and consequences of over exploitation of natural resources such as soil, forest and water. By assessing the uses and misuses of resources and identifying the reasons for misuses, the measures for sustainable development of resources in the fragile Himalayan watersheds can be identi ed and implemented. The main objective of the present study is to assess the land use/land cover changes in the Sabari Khad watershed of KulluValley. The Sabari Khad watershed is part of Beas River basin. The changes in LULC have been detected by using remote sensing and GIS (Geographical Information System) techniques for a period of twelve years . The satellite images of the National European Space Agency Sentinal-2 of November, 2021 and LandSat-7 image of November 2000 were processed with the help of ERDAS Imagine (2015) and Arc View (3.2a) software. This study reveals that substantial amount of deforestation and snow cover retreat has occurred during this period of two decades due to anthropogenic activities such as expansion of agriculture, especially horticulture and infrastructure.
The recent events in the Himalayas have depicted more than ever, that we require development strategy for the Himalayas that assesses the susceptibility of the region and requirement for the safety of environment. There is no distrust that the economic growth is the need of the region, but this cannot come on the cost of the environmental degradation. The resource base of Himalayan watersheds sustains traditional mountain societies. However, driven by population explosion, the Himalayan environment has experienced the effects of extension and intensification of agriculture, deforestation; land use and land cover changes and land degradation. The fragile watersheds of Himalayan region are facing multiple and complex environmental crisis and challenges. Therefore, the objectives of the present paper are following – (i) to identify the key drivers for maintaining environment services of the Himalayan watersheds; (ii) to assess the resource base and processes operating within the watershed as an ecosystem; (iii) to establish links between ecological and social ecosystem services and finally (iv) to analyze the LULC (Land use/Land cover) changes and patterns to evolve a sustainable strategy based on geospatial technology.
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