Publication

Abstract : Land degradation adversely affects socio-economic status and ecosystem services. Land sharing, land separation, and land conservation are part of environmental conservation and are gaining momentum to serve the needs of humans and climate regulation. Simultaneous environmental changes challenge biodiversity persistence and human well-being. Ecosystem degradation resulted in numerous social and environmental issues, such as extreme weather events, reduced production of forestry and agricultural-based livelihoods, and endangered biodiversity. This study aims to determine the spatial extent of agroforestry ecosystem degradation for two time periods, 2013 and 2021, in five districts of Uttarakhand, India, the parameters that led to the changes, and the importance of each of the parameters. By considering the heterogeneous nature of agroforestry degradation, identifying relevant parameters and spectral indices for classifications is a critical process in agroforestry ecosystem degradation analysis. Remotely sensed satellite images are used to evaluate the degradation and preparation of spectral indices. Understanding the changes and the underlying parameters help to deploy corrective measures to prevent further degradation and restore the ecosystem to provide functional outputs.