Monitoring Tea Plantations Dynamics Using Satellite Data between 2000 and 2020 in Dooars Regions of Himalaya

Abstract

Tea is an important beverage and an essential part of the economy and livelihood in many tea-growing countries. Identification and periodic monitoring of tea plantations are becoming vital as the tea industry is expanding rapidly along with changes in land use/land cover (LULC). This study utilised Landsat-5 TM and Sentinel-2A images for identifying and analysing the dynamics of tea plantations in the Dooars region of North Bengal over the period 2000 through 2020. The result shows that tea plantations have increased from 1,064km2 (2000) to 1,286km2 (2020), representing an increase in area of 21%. The maximum increase in tea plantations was found in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts (+137km2), followed by the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts (+ 83km2), mainly because of the expansion of the tea industry and population. The overall accuracy of classified LULC was nearly 89% with a kappa coefficient of 0.86. The health condition of tea plants was also assessed using leaf area index (LAI), and healthy tea mostly showed an LAI of more than 2. Assessment of LULC dynamics based on high-resolution satellite data provides essential information required to promote sustainable tea practices in the Dooars region covering the North Bengal districts.