Assessment of land use land cover changes in Loktak Lake in Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot using geospatial techniques

Increased in human anthropogenic activities resulted in large degradation of wetlands affecting the biotic and abiotic components of the freshwater ecosystems. The Loktak Lake of Manipur in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity region has been degraded and threatened due to increase in population and the demand for more resources. The aim of the present study was to assess the changes in land use pattern in Loktak Lake during the last 38 years using digital change detection approaches. Spatial technique of land uses detection using multi-temporal satellite data followed by remote sensing techniques were used to assess the land cover changes. Maximum likelihood algorithm was employed to analyze the data collected from the Earth Resource Development Assessment System imagine in order to detect the change in land cover. Further, five types of land use pattern viz. open water bodies, agricultural area, Phumdis with thick vegetation, Phumdis with thin vegetation and settlement were studied. The results showed an alternation in the land use profile of the Loktak Lake. The present finding indicates that overall increased in open water bodies, agricultural area and settlement by 10.94%, 10.26% and 2.23% respectively while Phumdis with thick and Phumdis with thin vegetation have decreased by 3.48% and 28.89%. Changes in land use pattern were found to be affecting the fragile ecosystem of the Loktak Lake and posed a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem. The study identified the need for proper land use planning and implementation of Manipur Loktak Lake Act 2006 for sustainable management of the lake.