Assessment of spatiotemporal changes in land use/land cover of North Kashmir Himalayas from 1992 to 2018

Under changing global scenarios, assessment of land use/land cover change becomes necessary. Geospatial technologies have been used extensively in many areas of the world for generating valuable information on environmental monitoring. Kashmir valley is also witnessing large LULC changes due to the widespread lateral urbanization, favorable climate, fertile soils and improved infrastructure. This study aims to assess the LULC dynamics in North Kashmir Himalayas from 1992 to 2018 within a GIS environment. Results reveal that agricultural land, forest cover, snow and glaciers are showing a decreasing trend over the study period, while horticulture, built-up/urban area has increased over the same period. The study shows a high demand for the settlement class. Furthermore, an increase in population, climate variability and economic compulsions have been identified as major drivers of LULC change. The application of geospatial technologies to analyze LULC and related effects was clearly demonstrated.