The land use/cover (LULC) dynamics is the assertive global issue that incites Earth’s environmental system at multiple spatial–temporal scales. The present investigation was formulated on the Vanivilasa Sagara (VVS) reservoir catchment in Karnataka, which has witnessed phenomenal LULC transformations due to various natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Thus, the main objective of the study is to derive and quantify the LULC changes using remote sensing and GIS techniques and various statistical evaluations at 5-year intervals from 1990 to 2023. At first, image classification was employed using supervised classification (Support Vector Machine) to map LULC (1990–2023) across seven reference periods: 1990, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2015, 2020, and 2023, validated by nonparametric kappa statistical test (> 0.92 to ≤ 0.95). Furthermore, from the classified outputs, LULC changes were quantified using the change matrix, gain, loss, and persistency of LULC classes using statistical evaluation. The results reveal that consequential from 1990 to 2023, LULC change will lead to significant environmental changes that require our attention, i.e., considerable increase in plantations (1097.47 km2), settlements (64.07 km2), waterbody (127.89 km2), double crops (155.60 km2), coffee plantations (14.61 km2), gullied land (27.71 km2), and land without scrub (13.43km2). In contrast, the significant area lost in Kharif (1331.59 km2), deciduous forest (122.41 km2), scrub forest (61.39 km2), and scrubland (30.66 km2). These alterations point to major human activities, such as the increased cropland under greater population pressure and increased plantations because of their commercial significance. Furthermore, the conversion of forests, scrublands, and grasslands into built-up areas, i.e., settlements, industries, and quarries/mining has witnessed unforeseen thriving in surface water bodies enabling local communities to expand plantations and double crops during the dry season. Moreover, a marked rise in wasteland ecosystems, i.e., erosional/gullied, salt affected land, and land without scrubs, may constitute a grave menace to the environment of a VVS catchment, that leads to land degradation in the future and they must be addressed immediately. The study continued to unlock the implications of these LULC changes on environmental, socio-economic, and ecological backlashes and also suggested some policy changes for the management of sustainable LULC changes that would align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These outcomes further serve as an early warning system for resource degradation in catchment and contribute to planners, researchers, farmers, and government authorities at local to regional level for integrated sustainable land and water resource management.

Quantifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics Using Integrated Geospatial and Statistical Techniques over Vanivilasa Sagara Reservoir Catchment, South-Western India

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发表日期：

2025年4月8日

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Lokanath S,
Govinda Raju,
Rakesh C J,
Kishor Kumar A

摘要

The land use/cover (LULC) dynamics is the assertive global issue that incites Earth’s environmental system at multiple spatial–temporal scales. The present investigation was formulated on the Vanivilasa Sagara (VVS) reservoir catchment in Karnataka, which has witnessed phenomenal LULC transformations due to various natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Thus, the main objective of the study is to derive and quantify the LULC changes using remote sensing and GIS techniques and various statistical evaluations at 5-year intervals from 1990 to 2023. At first, image classification was employed using supervised classification (Support Vector Machine) to map LULC (1990–2023) across seven reference periods: 1990, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2015, 2020, and 2023, validated by nonparametric kappa statistical test (> 0.92 to ≤ 0.95). Furthermore, from the classified outputs, LULC changes were quantified using the change matrix, gain, loss, and persistency of LULC classes using statistical evaluation. The results reveal that consequential from 1990 to 2023, LULC change will lead to significant environmental changes that require our attention, i.e., considerable increase in plantations (1097.47 km²), settlements (64.07 km²), waterbody (127.89 km²), double crops (155.60 km²), coffee plantations (14.61 km²), gullied land (27.71 km²), and land without scrub (13.43km²). In contrast, the significant area lost in Kharif (1331.59 km²), deciduous forest (122.41 km²), scrub forest (61.39 km²), and scrubland (30.66 km²). These alterations point to major human activities, such as the increased cropland under greater population pressure and increased plantations because of their commercial significance. Furthermore, the conversion of forests, scrublands, and grasslands into built-up areas, i.e., settlements, industries, and quarries/mining has witnessed unforeseen thriving in surface water bodies enabling local communities to expand plantations and double crops during the dry season. Moreover, a marked rise in wasteland ecosystems, i.e., erosional/gullied, salt affected land, and land without scrubs, may constitute a grave menace to the environment of a VVS catchment, that leads to land degradation in the future and they must be addressed immediately. The study continued to unlock the implications of these LULC changes on environmental, socio-economic, and ecological backlashes and also suggested some policy changes for the management of sustainable LULC changes that would align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These outcomes further serve as an early warning system for resource degradation in catchment and contribute to planners, researchers, farmers, and government authorities at local to regional level for integrated sustainable land and water resource management.