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On a worldwide scale, land use and land cover changes (LULCC) is a major driver of global change and biodiversity erosion. This study aims to monitor at the scale of Sri Lanka, LULCC and vegetation dynamics, to identify the main changes and their drivers. It places emphasis on multiscale geospatial monitoring with satellite data but also mobilises the interdisciplinary knowledge of a research programme. First, national scale data allows the identification of major changes with the MODIS NDVI dataset using Mann-Kendall tests and time profile analysis. A second local scale was mobilised with a systematic diachronic visual interpretation of high-resolution images on Google Earth. The third step, a macro-regional scale focus on the South and East coasts, used LANDSAT imagery (Stacked K-means) verified by field studies (botanical and vegetation analysis, and interviews). About 92.5% of the island of Sri Lanka is stable or presents no significant trends in the vegetation cover. 5% show a significant positive (greening) trend between 2000 and 2020 around the Puttalam lagoon, west of the Samanalawewa Reservoir, in the Udawalawe National Park, east and north of Ella, and the Nuwaragala Forest Reserve. Only about 2.5% (165,000 ha) of the Island shows a negative significant trend mainly in the periphery of Colombo and Trincomalee. The first driver is a set of national planning decisions in terms of infrastructure development (including urban growth, housing programmes and agricultural fields, and the management of protected areas). The second driver comes under rural dynamics with increasing tree density in rural landscapes over the Uva Province. Infrastructure development initiated by the state, creates both underlying conditions for other activities and negative impacts on coastal ecosystems, such as degradation of wetlands (including protected areas). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern coastal zone of Sri Lanka has been subjected to a variety of natural and anthropogenic influences over the past three decades. Understanding impacts of such influences on Land Use Land Cover (LULC) is vital for proper management of the coastal zone. This study, therefore, focused on mapping the change/s in the distribution of selected LULC in the selected sites, Bundala, Galle, Kalametiya, and Hambantota of the southern coastal zone, over last 24 years using satellite imagery. LULC maps of nine classes (mangrove, inland vegetation, marsh and grass, sand, bare land, built-up, cultivation, water, and unclassified) were created by employing an onscreen digitization technique achieving an accuracy of >70%. Trend analysis and two-sample proportion tests were used for statistical analyses, whereas geometric calculations were used for descriptive analyses. The results showed the highest overall change in LULC in Kalametiya, followed by Hambantota, Galle, and Bundala. The changes in the LULC classes are mainly attributed to the conversion of water to mangroves, marsh and grass areas in Kalametiya, water to built-up areas in Hambantota, cultivations to built-up areas in Galle, and marsh and grass areas to bare lands in Bundala. The causes of LULC changes were site specific. Trend analyses indicate the least LULC changes in Bundala possibly by 2025. The study highlights the significance of taking into account geographical dislocations when considering and anticipating the potential impacts of development projects over broader extents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]