Assessment of land use and vegetation in Yellapur forest division, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka

GOWRI B. GOWDA; A. G. KOPPAD

GOWRI B. GOWDA Department of Forest Resource Management, College of Forestry, Sirsi-584 104 University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005, India
A. G. KOPPAD Department of Forest Resource Management, College of Forestry, Sirsi-584 104 University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005, India

Keywords: Kappa coefficient, Land use Land Cover (LULC), Normalized Vegetation Index

Abstract

The study Land use land cover classification of different forest types was conducted in the Yellapur forest division of Uttara Kannada district, geographically positioned between 74° 25' to 75° 6' East longitudes and 14° 44' to 15° 7' North latitudes. The 2023 Land Use Land Cover (LULC) analysis, based on Landsat-8 data, provides valuable insights into the condition and distribution of vegetation across various land categories through Google Earth Engine. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values ranged from -0.07 to +0.70, reflecting diverse levels of vegetation health. Higher NDVI values indicate healthier vegetation, while lower values correspond to non-vegetated areas, such as water bodies. Vegetation, including forests, plantations, and other green spaces, covers 1,61,976 hectares (81.68%) and is crucial for supporting biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance. In contrast, built-up areas cover 17,413 hectares (8.83%) of the land, signalling ongoing urban expansion and infrastructure development. The overall accuracy of the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) analysis reached 95.45 per cent, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.94, indicating a high level of precision and reliability in classifying land cover types.