Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

REMOTE SERTSING AND GIS FOR CHANGE DETECTION AND ECO DEGRADATION STUDIES IN THE NILGIRIS - SOUTH INDIA

V. Kandasamy, S. Sanjeevi

Abstract

For many years, growing concern has been expressed over the environmental degradation in mountain ecosystems. Modern technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing can facilitate effort to monitor and analyze the changing resources bases of such ecosystems. This study is an attempt to quantify the rate and type of environmental degradation occurring in the Nilgiris, south India using such techniques. Eco - degradation activity in the Nilgiris is related to following causative factors viz., slope, landuse, geology, geomorphology, drainage, lineaments and rainfall. A change detection map and a transition matrix was prepared from satellite data of three different decades, which indicates the amount of change that has taken place. A zonation map was arrived by GIS analysis which divides the study area in to four zones of degradation. This map is useful for selecting suitable locations for implementation of the hill area development programme.