Spatiotemporal analysis of land use/land cover changes and vegetation health in south Andaman district using remote sensing and GIS

Abstract

This study investigates land use/land cover (LULC) changes and vegetation health conditions in the South Andaman District from 2002 to 2014 using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 satellite images were analyzed in order to measure variations in eight primary LULC classes. The findings reveal substantial changes in the topography, including considerable declines in mangrove (-6.44%), coral reef (-28.74%), and agricultural land (-19.45%) areas. In contrast, settlements expanded by 48.69% as a result of rising tourism and population growth. The lowest change in the forest cover (-0.60%) was ascribed to successful conservation measures. The study also evaluated the state of vegetation using the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). The indices indicate that vegetation health is generally positive in elevated, forested areas but is negatively affected in locations with human activities. The study emphasizes how the island's ecology has been impacted by development, tourism, population increase, and the 2004 tsunami. In order to address these modifications and foster sustainable growth, an environmental zoning strategy is suggested. Policymakers and environmental planners can gain important insights from this study, which shows how well multi-temporal satellite data can be integrated with vegetation health indices for complete environmental monitoring and management in island ecosystems.