Assessing forest cover changes and fragmentation in the Himalayan temperate region: implications for forest conservation and management

This study comprehensively assessed long-term vegetation changes and forest fragmentation dynamics in the Himalayan temperate region of Pakistan from 1989 to 2019. Four satellite images, including Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), were chosen for subsequent assessments in October 1989, 2001, 2011 and 2019. The classified maps of 1989, 2001, 2011 and 2019 were created using the maximum likelihood classifier. Post-classification comparison showed an overall accuracy of 82.5