부산대학교 도서관

Forest plays an important role in climate regulation, sustaining ecological security and carbon sequestration. Forest cover change is a dynamic process that is mainly driven by natural as well as anthropogenic activities. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is one of the protected areas of Assam and is a significant forest that is facing the problem of encroachment and deforestation. These possess a great threat to the environment and biodiversity of the region. Data from satellites are very useful for monitoring the changing pattern of forests. Assessment of land use and land cover (LULC) changes over the past decade was performed in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS). Landsat TM and Landsat Sentinel-2 multi-spectral data for the years 2012, 2017 and 2021 were used to classify LULC classes. In our study, it was noticed that the total forest cover declined from 223.5 to 212.22 km2 from 2012 to 2017 which was further reduced to 203.41 km2 in 2021. A total forest cover loss was reported to be 8.23% from 2012 to 2021. The agricultural lands marked a loss of 2.69% over the decade due to frequent flooding and deposition of sand bars. Accuracy assessment was found within agreement limits. The major destruction in forest area was seen in the southwestern part of the park which is due to the rapid bank erosion by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Increasing population, encroachment and related anthropogenic activities also plays a very important role in deforestation in the region.