Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Changes in an Ecologically Fragile Area—Alappuzha District, Southern Kerala, India

Abstract

Concomitant with careless human interference in the delicate environmental balance, the Earth’s surface is witnessing a variety of changes in land use and land cover (LULC). Acquisition of a sound understanding of LULC is an important aspect of maintaining a sustainable, benign, healthy environment. The present work highlights a spatiotemporal study on the LULC features of Alappuzha District, an ecologically fragile area in southern Kerala, a state in South India. The study area faces diverse environmental challenges including decline of landforms, rising sea levels, population expansion and anthropogenic encroachments on the ecological balance. This investigation compiles an audited account of the modifications, in each class of LULC, using geospatial technologies. We interpreted satellite imagery from the Landsat 8 and the Landsat multispectral scanner for the years 1973 and 2017. The LULC aspects were categorized into seven classes: waterbody, waterlogged area, mixed vegetation, built-up land, uncultivated area, paddy field and sandy area. Our findings affirm that the expansiveness of the built-up land area is directly proportional to the growth of the population. Advanced technologies such as remote sensing and geographic information system accentuate alterations in land use patterns over time and the extent to which the changes affect the human population and the natural habitat. We verified the results of our research by assessment of accuracy and ground truth confirmation of the LULC features.