Abstact

CHANGE DETECTION ANALYSIS OF KMTR RESERVE FOREST

Western Ghats are one of biodiversity hotspots of the world. Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, the first in the state of Tamil Nadu, which lies in the Southern Western Ghats is the important catchment of Tamirabarani River, the lifeline of the dry districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin. Hence conserving the forests of KMTR is very important for the overall development of the above districts. The change analysis on forest cover of KMTR will provide necessary information for the reserve managers for planning management and conservation strategies. The study on the trend and nature of change supports the conservation activities carried out by the Tamilnadu Forest Department, thereby assisting in planning and decision of the further conservation activities of the Forest Reserve.The project is to study the changes and analyze the factors responsible for bringing about those changes in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Reserve Forest of Tirunelveli district for 1992 to 2007 (around 15 years). The specific objectives of the study will however include to quantify the amount of forest expanse in 1992, 2004 & 2007;to detect the nature of change and the factors affecting the change in forest expanse and to display the statistical result and map as output.