Km2 Of Land Research Articles

Integrated spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and food production

Integrated spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and food production

Technical and Social Approaches to Study Shoreline Change of Kuakata, Bangladesh

In recent years, shoreline determination has become an issue of increasing importance and concern, especially at the local level, as sea level continues to rise. This study identifies the rates of absolute and net erosion, accretion, and shoreline stabilization along the coast of Kuakata, a vulnerable coastal region in south-central Bangladesh. Shoreline change was detected by applying remote sensing and geographic information system (RS-GIS)-based techniques by using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) satellite images at 30-m resolution from 1989, 2003, 2010, and 2020. The band combination (BC) method was used to extract the shoreline (i.e., land-water boundary) due to its improved accuracy over other methods for matching with the existing shoreline position. This study also used participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools which revealed the societal impacts caused by the shoreline changes. Coupling RS-GIS and PRA techniques provides an enhanced understanding of shoreline change and its impacts because PRA enriches the RS-GIS outcomes by contextualizing the findings. Results show that from 1989 to 2020, a total of 13.59 km2 of coastal land was eroded, and 3.27 km2 of land was accreted, suggesting that land is retreating at about 0.32 km2 yr–1. Results from the PRA tools support this finding and demonstrate that fisheries and tourism are affected by the shoreline change. These results are important in Kuakata, a major tourist spot in Bangladesh, because of the impacts on fisheries, recreation, resource extraction, land use planning, and coastal risk management.

Mine Geological Environment Monitoring and Risk Assessment in Arid and Semiarid Areas

Along with the accelerated shift of coal mining to the ecologically fragile west, the contradiction between coal resource development and ecological protection in the western arid and semiarid coal mining areas is rapidly intensifying. Based on the above background, this thesis takes the coal mining area in the arid and semiarid regions as an example; applies the theories of ecology, coal mining subsidence, geodesy, and ecological restoration; uses remote sensing in synthetic aperture radar (SAR), geographic information system (GIS), and mathematical modelling to reveal the ecological evolution law of the mining area; measures the ecological damage of the mining area; and then proposes a reasonable ecological restoration strategy. The surface deformation monitoring study in the study area shows that on the whole, some areas in the study area have different degrees of surface subsidence disasters, and the maximum surface subsidence value exceeds 800 mm. From the distribution of surface subsidence in the study area, surface subsidence disasters mainly occur in the eastern and central mountainous areas rich in coal resources, as well as in the mining areas west of the Yellow River, and the subsidence basins are distributed in a series of irregular concentric ovals. In terms of the scale of surface subsidence in the study area, a total of 230.03 km2 of land in the study area showed surface subsidence hazards during the monitoring period, accounting for 13.78% of the total area of the study area, of which the area of severe subsidence was 44.98 km2 (2.69%). The area of more serious subsidence area is 101.33 km2 (6.07%), and the area affected by subsidence is 83.72 km2 (5.01%).

Impact of Sea-Level Rise on the Hydrologic Landscape of the Mānā Plain, Kaua‘i

The Mānā Plain is a land apart, buffered from oceanographic influences by ~3–35 m high backshore deposits, and drained by an intricate, >100-y-old ditch system and modern, large-capacity pumps. Quantifying present and prospective inputs and outputs for the hydrologic landscape suggests that, although sea-level rise (SLR) will begin to impact ditch system operations in 2040, transient, event-based flooding caused by rainfall, not SLR induced, multi-mechanism flooding, will continue to pose the most immediate threat. This is because as sea level rises the ability of gravity flows to discharge storm runoff directly into the ocean will diminish, causing floodwater to pond in low-lying depressions. Estimates of the volume of water involved suggests the risk of flooding from surface water is likely to extend to 5.45 km2 of land that is presently ≤ 1 m above sea level. This land will not be permanently inundated, but weeks of pumping may be required to remove the floodwater. Increasing pumping capacity and preserving some operational ability to discharge storm runoff under the influence of gravity will enhance the ditch system’s resilience to SLR and ensure it continues to fulfill its primary functions, of maintaining the water table below the root zone and diverting storm runoff away from farmland, at least until the end of this century.

Implementation of an Improved Water Change Tracking (IWCT) Algorithm: Monitoring the Water Changes in Tianjin over 1984–2019 Using Landsat Time-Series Data

Tianjin is the largest open city along the coastline in Northern China, which has several important wetland ecosystems. However, no systematic study has assessed the water body changes over the past few decades for Tianjin, not to mention their response to human activities and climate change. Here, based on the water change tracking (WCT) algorithm, we proposed an improved water change tracking (IWCT) algorithm, which could remove built-up shade noise (account for 0.4%~6.0% of the final water area) and correct omitted water pixels (account for 1.1%~5.1% of the final water area) by taking the time-series data into consideration. The seasonal water product of the Global Surface Water Data (GSWD) was used to provide a comparison with the IWCT results. Significant changes in water bodies of the selected area in Tianjin were revealed from the time-series water maps. The permanent water area of Tianjin decreased 282.5 km2 from 1984 to 2019. Each time after the dried-up period, due to government policies, the land reclamation happened in Tuanbo Birds Nature Reserve (TBNR), and, finally, 12.6 km2 of the lake has been reclaimed. Meanwhile, 488.6 km2 of land has been reclaimed from the sea along the coastal zone in the past 16 years at a speed of 28.74 km2 yr−1 in the Binhai New Area (BHNA). The method developed in this study could be extended to other sensors which have similar band settings with Landsat; the products acquired in this study could provide fundamental reference for the wetland management in Tianjin.

Regional Variation in US Land Trust Capacities and Activities Related to Bird Conservation

Land trusts play an important role in private land conservation and afford some level of protection to 230,000 km2 of land across the United States. In this study, we explored the potential for land trusts to contribute meaningfully to bird conservation. Based on survey responses of 626 land trusts, we found substantial regional variation in conservation strategies, barriers, and habitats protected. Land trusts used easements rather than purchasing land (i.e., fee acquisition) most often in the West (50% easement vs. 25% fee) and least in the Northeast (38% vs. 45%). The types of habitats protected also varied in ways that tracked regional patterns in land use and land cover. Across regions, 31% (Northeast) to 63% (Southeast) of land trusts included a city within service areas, highlighting the role land trusts may play in curbing urban sprawl. Land trusts throughout the United States used similar information sources to guide conservation decisions, with bird conservation plans used most frequently in the West (63%) and least in the Northeast (32%). Although roughly half of land trusts engaged in bird monitoring activities, human and fiscal resources were barriers to 60% or more of land trusts in each region. Overall, our study suggests that land trusts have untapped potential to contribute meaningfully to bird conservation and can benefit from engaging with birdwatchers and bird-focused organizations, monitoring birds on their properties, and pursuing grant opportunities related to bird conservation.

Opportunities and trade-offs for expanding agriculture in Canada’s North: an ecosystem service perspective

Climate change will create warmer temperatures, greater precipitation, and longer growing seasons in northern latitudes making agriculture increasingly possible in boreal regions. To assess the potential of any such expansion, this paper provides a first-order approximation of how much land could become suitable for four staple crops (corn, potato, soy, and wheat) in Canada by 2080. In addition, we estimate how the environmental trade-offs of northern agricultural expansion will impact critical ecosystem services. Primarily, we evaluate how the regulatory ecosystem services of carbon storage and sequestration and the habitat services supporting biodiversity would be traded for the provisioning services of food production. Here we show that under climate change projected by Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM2) Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5, ∼1.85 million km2of land may become suitable for farming in Canada’s North, which, if utilized, would lead to the release of ∼15 gigatonnes of carbon if all forests and wetlands are cleared and plowed. These land-use changes would also have profound implications for Indigenous sovereignty and the governance of protected and conserved areas in Canada. These results highlight that research is urgently needed so that stakeholders can become aware of the scope of potential economic opportunities, cultural issues, and environmental trade-offs required for agricultural sustainability in Canada.

Towards Innovative Governance of Nature Areas

How can the governance of nature areas foster the sustainability of ecosystems? This is discussed with regard to larger threats on ecosystems despite larger global nature areas that reach 19 million km2 of land along with larger costs per area unit. Moreover, monetization of nature with payments for ecosystem services is sometimes demanded for justification of the nature areas; however, this does not resolve the threats but faces scientific and ethical scrutiny. An alternative is the governance that incubates sustainable innovations in the nature areas for broad dissemination which generates interests in the sustainability of ecosystems. Opportunities are due to demands for ethical products, ecotourism and images of nature which generate USD 1100 billion in global markets. Sustainable innovations of using reed for insulation walls, furniture panels and upholstery in the EU can generate a few hundred million dollars in addition to present roof thatching, fodder and fuels if good functional qualities of the reed products are developed. Their functionalities can be supported by the inclusive economics, CO2 storage, treatment of water pollution, richer biodiversity, and other ethical qualities. The governance of nature areas can prevent the present deadlock but needs the development of technical and entrepreneurial capabilities.

Maternal residential proximity to Central Appalachian surface mining and adverse birth outcomes

Background: Over the past 25 years in Central Appalachia, there have been major shifts in land use due to surface mining. Previous studies have reported increased adverse birth outcomes in Central Appalachian coalfields compared to other regions at a county-level scale. This study addresses gaps in knowledge of exposure by developing a fine-scale spatiotemporal characterization of adverse birth outcomes in Central Appalachia through use of satellite imagery and address-level birth records.Methods: Surface mining boundaries in Central Appalachia between 1989-2015 were delineated using Landsat satellite imagery. These boundaries were used to characterize land as pre, active, and post mining areas. Geocoded maternal addresses from VA, WV, KY, and TN birth records were assigned exposures based on the amount of surface mining within a 5km radius. Births were also assigned exposures based on the amount of surface mining within their residential zip code and county. Mining exposures were further categorized into quantiles of high, moderate, and low amounts or no exposure. Regression models determined the association between surface mining during gestation and birth weight, preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and term low birth weight (TLBW), adjusting for available demographic factors.Results: Preliminary models indicate that prenatal exposure to high amounts of post mining operations (1 to 33 sq. km of land within 5km) of residence is associated with a decrease in birth weight (26 g 95% CI:15 g, 38g). Zip code and county level analysis results were consistent with street level results. Pregnant women who resided in zip codes during high amounts of active surface mining (between 1.3 and 41% of land area) had significantly lower birth weights (31 g, 95% CI:24 g, 39 g) when compared to infants born prior to mining. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest Central Appalachian surface mining may be associated with increases in adverse birth outcomes.

Planning for Dynamic Connectivity: Operationalizing Robust Decision-Making and Prioritization Across Landscapes Experiencing Climate and Land-Use Change

Preserving landscape connectivity is one of the most frequently recommended strategies to address the synergistic threats of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and intensifying disturbances. Although assessments to develop plans for linked and connected landscapes in response to climate and land-use change have been increasingly employed in the last decade, efforts to operationalize and implement these plans have been limited. Here, we present a framework using existing, available biological data to design an implementable, comprehensive multispecies connectivity plan. This framework uses a scenario-based approach to consider how ecosystems, habitats, and species may need to adapt to future conditions with an ensemble of connectivity models. We use the south coast ecoregion of California as an example to evaluate and prioritize linkages by combining linked metapopulation models and key landscape features (e.g., conservation planning status and implementation feasibility) to identify and prioritize a multispecies linkage network. Our analyses identified approximately 30,000 km2 of land, roughly one-fifth of our study area, where actions to preserve or enhance connectivity may support climate adaptation, nearly half of which is already conserved. By developing and implementing a dynamic connectivity assessment with an eye towards projected changes, our analysis demonstrates how dynamic connectivity can be integrated into feasible regional conservation and management plans that account for demographic as well as landscape change. We observed overlap across multiple models, reinforcing the importance of areas that appeared across methods. We also identified unique areas important for connectivity captured by our complementary models. By integrating multiple approaches, the resultant linkage network is robust, building on the strengths of a variety of methods to identify model consensus and reduce uncertainty. By linking quantitative connectivity metrics with prioritized areas for conservation, our approach supports transparent and robust decision-making for landscape planning, despite uncertainties of climate and land-use change.

Expansion of Vertebrate Pest Exclusion Fencing and Its Potential Benefits for Threatened Fauna Recovery in Australia.

Simple SummaryGlobally, there is a need to preserve threatened species before they disappear. The management of these species is often aided, particularly in Australia, by the addition of exclusion fences that prevent the movement of invasive or pest predators and competitors into the conservation area. Widespread use of conservation fences is limited by the availability of suitable conservation land and the relatively high costs of such fencing. Here, we discuss the potential conservation benefit of pest exclusion fences erected on agricultural land. We assess the spatial overlap of existing agricultural exclusion fences (known as “cluster fences”) with the potential habitat of listed threatened species and consider whether or not identified threats to these species are potentially alleviated within cluster fences. We find that there are several species that face threats which may be alleviated with cluster fences and propose that active recovery of threatened species on fenced agricultural land be seriously considered.The global effort to conserve threatened species relies heavily on our ability to separate these species from the processes that threaten them, and a common tool used for this purpose is exclusion fencing. In Australia, pest animal exclusion fencing has been repeatedly used on conservation land on a small scale to successfully exclude introduced predators and competitors from threatened native fauna populations. However, in recent years, “cluster fencing” on agricultural land has re-emerged on a large scale and is used by livestock producers seeking to reduce predation losses by dingoes (Canis familiaris) and manage total grazing pressure from native and introduced herbivores, including red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus). Given that the primary threats to at-risk native fauna are also predation and overgrazing, there may be potential for cluster fencing on livestock land to achieve additional fauna conservation benefits. Understanding the amount, location and potential conservation value of cluster fenced livestock land is critical for determining how these areas might contribute to broader threatened fauna recovery goals. Drawing from publicly available databases maintained by the Australian Government, we assessed the spatial overlap of threatened species’ distributions with 105 cluster fences erected in Queensland since 2013, which cover 65,901 km2 of land. These cluster fenced areas represent 18 biogeographic subregions and may contain 28 extant threatened mammals, birds and reptiles including 18 vulnerable species, 7 endangered species and 3 critically endangered species. An average of nine threatened species or their habitats were identified per cluster, and over three quarters (78.6%) of these species face at least one threat that is being mitigated within clusters. The true status of threatened and pest species within clusters is largely unknown or unrecorded in most cases, but some examples of pest eradication and threatened species recovery are already emerging. Given the vast size of the cluster fenced estate, the many different biomes and species that it represents and the nature of the threats being removed within these fenced areas, we contend that agricultural cluster fencing may offer an unprecedented opportunity to advance threatened fauna conservation goals for some species at scales previously thought impossible and should be a research priority for threatened species managers.

New ICESat-2 Satellite LiDAR Data Allow First Global Lowland DTM Suitable for Accurate Coastal Flood Risk Assessment

No accurate global lowland digital terrain model (DTM) exists to date that allows reliable quantification of coastal lowland flood risk, currently and with sea-level rise. We created the first global coastal lowland DTM that is derived from satellite LiDAR data. The global LiDAR lowland DTM (GLL_DTM_v1) at 0.05-degree resolution (~5 × 5 km) is created from ICESat-2 data collected between 14 October 2018 and 13 May 2020. It is accurate within 0.5 m for 83.4% of land area below 10 m above mean sea level (+MSL), with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) value of 0.54 m, compared to three local area DTMs for three major lowland areas: the Everglades, the Netherlands, and the Mekong Delta. This accuracy is far higher than that of four existing global digital elevation models (GDEMs), which are derived from satellite radar data, namely, SRTM90, MERIT, CoastalDEM, and TanDEM-X, that we find to be accurate within 0.5 m for 21.1%, 12.9%, 18.3%, and 37.9% of land below 10 m +MSL, respectively, with corresponding RMSE values of 2.49 m, 1.88 m, 1.54 m, and 1.59 m. Globally, we find 3.23, 2.12, and 1.05 million km2 of land below 10, 5, and 2 m +MSL. The 0.93 million km2 of land below 2 m +MSL identified between 60N and 56S is three times the area indicated by SRTM90 that is currently the GDEM most used in flood risk assessments, confirming that studies to date are likely to have underestimated areas at risk of flooding. Moreover, the new dataset reveals extensive forested land areas below 2 m +MSL in Papua and the Amazon Delta that are largely undetected by existing GDEMs. We conclude that the recent availability of satellite LiDAR data presents a major and much-needed step forward for studies and policies requiring accurate elevation models. GLL_DTM_v1 is available in the public domain, and the resolution will be increased in later versions as more satellite LiDAR data become available.

Investors can help rein in Amazon deforestation

[Extract] The Brazilian Amazon—the largest tropical rainforest in the world—has reached its highest level of deforestation since 2008 (Display footnote number:1). In 2019, 10,897 km2 of land were deforested, a 50.7% jump over the previous year (Display footnote number:1). A combination of threats, including tens of thousands of forest fires (Display footnote number:2), expanding road networks (Display footnote number:3, 4), weakened environmental laws (Display footnote number:5, 6), and a failure to enforce environmental laws and regulations (Display footnote number:6), is responsible. Given the staunchly pro-development policies of Brazil’s current government, a coalition of key actors in the financial sector is needed to help protect the embattled Amazon rainforest.

Preliminary assessment of viability of molten‐salt tower technology

India has incorporated renewable energy sources like solar and wind in its energy mix in order to achieve its ambitious plan to set up 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Among the solar technologies for power generation, solar photovoltaic (SPV) is considered and large SPV parks are deployed around the country. Some of the drawbacks of deploying large-scale SPV parks are discussed in the manuscript. Because of the intermittency of SPV and wind, there is a backup resource of fossil fuel fired thermal plants that are ramped up or down to meet the electricity demand in the grid, especially the peak demand. The manuscript proposes that India has to consider solar thermal technology that can be ramped up and down, namely, the molten-salt solar tower technology (STT). Based on the direct solar irradiance data there are about 6000 sq. km of land with 7.5 to 8.0 kWh/m2/day and about 12 000 sq. km with 7.0 to 7.5 kWh/m2/day where such STT plants can be set up. Cost analysis demonstrates that the capital cost of STT plant is roughly ₹ 389 million per MW. This is quite competitive compared to the nuclear and coal thermal technologies because these technologies have high operational costs.

Managing invasive plants on Great Plains grasslands: A discussion of current challenges

The Great Plains of North America encompass approximately 1,300,000 km2 of land from Texas to Saskatchewan. The integrity of these lands is under continual assault by long-established and newly-arrived invasive plant species, which can threaten native species and diminish land values and ecological goods and services by degrading desired grassland resources. The Great Plains are a mixture of privately and publicly owned lands, which leads to a patchwork of varying management goals and strategies for controlling invasive plants. Continually updated knowledge is required for efficient and effective management of threats posed by changing environments and invasive plants. Here we discuss current challenges, contemporary management strategies, and management tools and their integration, in hopes of presenting a knowledge resource for new and experienced land managers and others involved in making decisions regarding invasive plant management in the Great Plains.

Mapping Annual Land Disturbance and Reclamation in a Surface Coal Mining Region Using Google Earth Engine and the LandTrendr Algorithm: A Case Study of the Shengli Coalfield in Inner Mongolia, China

The development and utilization of mining resources are basic requirements for social and economic development. Both open-pit mining and underground mining have impacts on land, ecology, and the environment. Of these, open-pit mining is considered to have the greatest impact due to the drastic changes wrought on the original landform and the disturbance to vegetation. As awareness of environmental protection has grown, land reclamation has been included in the mining process. In this study, we used the Shengli Coalfield in the eastern steppe region of Inner Mongolia to demonstrate a mining and reclamation monitoring process. We combined the Google Earth Engine platform with time series Landsat images and the LandTrendr algorithm to identify and monitor mining disturbances to grassland and land reclamation in open-pit mining areas of the coalfield between 2003 and 2019. Pixel-based trajectories were used to reconstruct the temporal evolution of vegetation, and sequential Landsat archive data were used to achieve accurate measures of disturbances to vegetation. The results show that: (1) the proposed method can be used to determine the years in which vegetation disturbance and recovery occurred with accuracies of 86.53% and 78.57%, respectively; (2) mining in the Shengli mining area resulted in the conversion of 89.98 km2 of land from grassland, water, etc., to barren earth, and only 23.54 km2 was reclaimed, for a reclamation rate of 26.16%; and (3) the method proposed in this paper can achieve fast, efficient identification of surface mining land disturbances and reclamation, and has the potential to be applied to other similar areas.

Remote Sensing and GIS Application for Shoreline Change Measurement in South East Coastal region of Tamil Nadu, India

This Present study attempt to highlights the ability of Geospatial Technology to explore the changes in the coastal tract. The study also find out some major changes in terms of erosion and deposition of 33 Years (1972 to 2013) through the toposheet and satellite datas. Arc GIS software used to address the amount of changes in the study area. The satellite datas includes Landsat, IRS P6 LISS 4M, TM and ETM has been used to bring out the shorelines. Changes were noticed from the imageries and a comparative study was undergone using GIS. The shoreline taken a length of 9.3 km and it buffered 3 km which contains 19.1 km2 of land and 22.62 km2 of sea in part of Cuddalore district, Tamil nadu. For the given study area base map (Fig. 1) expose details of coastal plain. Along with that Digital Shoreline Analysis System the tool provided by USGS can Work with GIS Platform help to identify and classify the rate of shore changes in terms of High or Low Erosion and Accretion based on Linear Regression Rate (LRR), It was a statistical approach in software carried out by fitting least square regression line to all shoreline points for a particular transect. The study area is under erosion with an average of -2.63m/year.

Assessing the shoreline dynamics of Hatiya Island of Meghna estuary in Bangladesh using multiband satellite imageries and hydro-meteorological data

Hatiya is the largest and one of the most significant offshore islands in the Meghna river estuary. Which is very dynamic in nature as it is part of an active delta, where erosion and accretion process is active simultaneously. The present study attempts to assess the shoreline shifting and erosion-accretion measurement of Hatiya island and make an attempt to understand the impact of water level, temperature and rainfall on shoreline movement and erosion-accretion using GIS and remote sensing technique. Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) extension for ArcGIS has been used for calculation of shoreline movement. Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) showed that the island is moving, the maximum seaward movement is 6.1 km and the maximum landward movement is about 12.62 km. In its addition, End Point Rate (EPR) is calculated for quantifying the shoreline shifting which revealed that maximum rate of seaward shifting is about 138.5 m/year and landward shifting rate is about 285.38 m/year. The island has shown its dynamic movement towards land in southern part while the seaward movement found in most other parts of the island. About 8 sq. km of land eroded in last 45 years and 1.62 km of shoreline has depleted during this period. The tidal flat is also showed a dynamic nature that is more active prior to the dominant land accretion. Hydro-meteorological data also showed that the local climate is changing and changes in rainfall and water level affect the erosion and accretion process. The DSAS technique is an effective tool for continuous monitoring of dynamics shorelines like Hatiya island.

Assessment of Terengganu Coastal Change

Coastal erosion, accretion, and reclamation along Terengganu coastal line occur irregularly but it is noticed that their intensity increase during the past decade. The main objective of this study is to investigate the change in the coastal area for the period of 1989 to 2018. Dataset acquired from Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI have been used in this study. Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) is used to differentiate land and water body. The result of this study shows that erosion is the dominant process over Tok Jembal before the reclamation work for the extension of the airport runaway. The erosion occurs from 2006 through 2014 have eroded 0.0299 km2 of land especially at the north of the runaway. However, the reclamation project has injected 0.972 km2 new land. Overall the reclamation and accretion activities have contributed 1.337 km2 of land to this area for the 1989-2018 period. Meanwhile the result Teluk Lipat shows that the worst erosion event occurred between the 2004-2008 periods. In this period 0.092 km2 of land was eroded. Meanwhile, the highest accretion event occurs between 1988-1992. During this period, 0.299 km2 of accretion take place especially in the north part of the study area.

STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND AGRARIAN CRISES IN KARNATAKA: ANALYSIS OF EMERGING EVIDENCE

Agriculture is the primary occupation of most of Karnataka's rural residents. A total of 123,100 km² of land is cultivated in Karnataka, constituting 25.3% of the total geographical area of the state. Agriculture in Karnataka is heavily dependent on the southwest Monsoon since the extent of arid land in the state is second only to Rajasthan. Only 26.5% of sown area (30,900 km²) is subjected to irrigation. The state has three agricultural seasons – Kharif (April to September), Rabi (October to December) and summer (January to March). This study exploits the rapid technological improvement and development during the Green revolution to estimate the effects of agricultural productivity growth on structural change both in Karnataka and across country. The process of development requires structural change. The structural change of an economy takes place mainly along two dimensions: one is the changing sector-wise shares in GDP and the second is the changing share of the labour force, engaged in each sector. In case of Karnataka State economy, it is seen that as a first step, the agriculture sector loses its importance with a simultaneous growth of the manufacturing sector and tertiary sector. In Karnataka State, the service sector has grown by by-passing the secondary sector. Structural changes in agricultural sector it is also one type of the agrarian crises in Karnataka state. Agriculture is mainly depends upon monsoon so rural people more interested to go urban area due to getting jobs and were wages are high compared to village. Agricultural sector facing problem of agricultural labour due to agricultural labourers are shifted to urban area because of wages in agriculture sector is low compared to urban wages. In this context, this chapter is an attempt to mark out the structural change in terms of input structure, production structure and employment structure. KEY WORDS: primary sector, Secondary sector, Tertiary sector, Agriculture, Agricultural crops cropping pattern, Cropping pattern.