Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection Using Remote Sensing in the Trans Himalayan Region of Ladakh, India

Abstract

Mapping and monitoring of land use and land cover types along with detection of change are essential in the Trans Himalaya to understand landscape dynamics and assist with planning for sustainable development. This study attempts to monitor land use and land cover in Ladakh and identifies patterns of spatio-temporal change in land use using multi-temporal satellite images. Landsat images for three different time-periods (1999, 2009, and 2019) were used to quantify changes between 1999 and 2019. Eight major classes were identified on satellite images: barren land, agriculture, built-up, waterbody, wetland, range land, scrub land, and snow/glacier. Results indicate that major land use in Ladakh is barren land in all three time-periods and that built-up area has increased significantly by 123 sq km (800%) between 1999 and 2019. The possible causes for change in the region include geopolitical importance of the region, growth of the tourist sector with increase in number of tourists, and change of socio-cultural lifestyle.