Land use and land cover change detection through spatial approach: A case study of Mangaluru Taluk, Karnataka

Land cover is a physical appearance of land and represents its ecological status. Land use/land cover changes are due to human intervention, natural disturbance and succession. The present study aimed at monitoring the land cover changes in Mangalore region during the period 1997 to 2017. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques were used to determine the land use and land cover changes based on the analysis of temporal Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellite imagery. Ground truth observations were performed to check the accuracy of the classification. The present study brought to light that the forest area that occupied 37% of the Taluk’s area in 1997 has reduced to 31% in 2017. Other classes like agricultural land, built up area, water bodies and barren land have also experienced changes. Built-up lands (settlements) have increased from 6 per cent to 23 per cent of the total area. The high land vegetation and forest cover areas are disappearing rapidly; water bodies like lakes are also diminishing. Mangalore city is one of the fastest developing cities in India. Proper land use planning is essential for a sustainable development of Mangalore Taluk.