Application of GIS and Remote Sensing Technology to Detect Landscape Change in Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, India

Abstract

The present study stated on an evaluation into the use of remote sensing technology and geographic information systems (GIS) integration to detect land use/cover trajectories in Hollongapar gibbon wildlife sanctuary in Assam, India. Remote sensing technology was used to utilize multi-temporal satellite imagery including Landsat TM (Themetic Mapper) and Landsat OLI (Operational Land Imager) data to perform LU/C change detection from the year 1986 to 2018. The results revealed significant and unequal land conversion in the region of study. The paddy fields and tea gardens in and around the 4 km buffer of the wildlife sanctuary had increased sharply during the period 1986-2018. Remote sensing and GIS integration has been found to be effective in tracking and analyzing trends of LU/C trajectories and assessing the effects of land conversion on biodiversity of the study region.