Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Ecosystem Services in Eastern Coast of India

Coastal areas in eastern India faces land use and land cover change (LUCC) due to agricultural and socio-economic intensification. Assessing the value of ecosystem services (ES) from these areas is vital for ensuring sustainable management. This study aimed to evaluate the variation in the value of ES due to LUCC changes from 1990 to 2018 in six coastal districts of eastern Odisha, India using satellite imageries for the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2018. There was 2.6, 3.1, and 7.8% reduction in forest cover in Ganjam, Kendrapada, and Puri, respectively, whereas forest cover increased in Baleswar (5%), Bhadrak (35%), and Jagatsinghpur (11.3%). Agricultural land decreased in the six districts during 1990-2018. The total value of ES increased in the six districts except in Kendrapada. The value of ES from forest increased in all the districts with Bhadrak recording the highest increase (201.7%) and Kendrapada recording the lowest (3.3%). There was 0.1% decrease in the value of ES from agricultural land in Kendrapada. During 1990-2000, the value of ES decreased from agricultural lands. The change in the total value of ES for Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, and Ganjam were US$ 1262.2 x 10(5), US$ 794.5 x 10(5), US$ 18 x 10(5), US$ 100.2 x 10(5), US$ 373.2 x 10(5), and US$ 426.9 x 10(5) indicating an increase of 120.7, 121.2, 1.9, 16.8, and 29.3%, respectively, from 1990 to 2018. Uncontrolled LUCC coupled with frequent climatic shocks in vulnerable coastal areas pose a challenge for sustainable management. [GRAPHICS] .