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The Himalayan mountain forest ecosystem has been degrading since the British ruled the area in the 1850s. Local understanding of the patterns and processes of degradation is desperately required to devise management strategies to halt this degradation and provide long-term sustainability. This work comprises a satellite image based study in combination with national expert validation to generate sub-district level statistics for forest cover over theWestern Himalaya, Pakistan, which accounts for approximately 67% of the total forest cover of the country. The time series of forest cover maps (1990, 2000, 2010) reveal extensive deforestation in the area. Indeed, approximately 170,684 ha of forest has been lost, which amounts to 0.38% per year clear cut or severely degraded during the last 20 years. A significant increase in the rate of deforestation is observed in the second half of the study period, where much of the loss occurs at the western borders along with Afghanistan. The current study is the first systematic and comprehensive effort to map changes to forest cover in Northern Pakistan. Deforestation hotspots identified at the sub-district level provide important insight into deforestation patterns, which may facilitate the development of appropriate forest conservation and management strategies in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A majority of the research on forest fragmentation is primarily focused on animal groups rather than on tree communities because of the complex structural and functional behavior of the latter. In this study, we show that forest fragmentation provokes surprisingly rapid and profound alterations in tropical tree community. We examine forest fragments in the tropical region using high-resolution satellite imagery taken between 1973 and 2004 in the Southern Western Ghats (India) in relation to landscape patterns and phytosociological datasets. We have distinguished fragmentation in six categories—interior, perforated, edge, transitional, patch, and undetermined—around each forested pixel. Furthermore, we have characterized each of the fragment class in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forest in terms of its species composition and richness, its species similarity and abundance, and its regeneration status. Different landscape metrics have been used to infer patterns of land-use changes. Contiguous patches of >1,000 ha covered 90% of evergreen forest in 1973 with less porosity and minimal plantation and anthropogenic pressures; whereas in 2004, the area had 67% forest coverage and a high level of porosity, possibly due to Ochlandra spread and increased plantations which resulted in the loss of such contiguous patches. Results highlight the importance of landscape metrics in monitoring land-cover change over time. Our main conclusion was to develop an approach, which combines information regarding land cover, degree of fragmentation, and phytosociological inputs, to conserve and prioritize tropical ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used data generated using remote sensing and geographical information systems to categorize habitats, and then determined the relationship between the habitat categorizations and species-distribution patterns. A biologically rich hotspot—Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, located at Southern Western Ghats, India, was chosen for this study. In order to spatially delineate areas of high species richness/diversity and endemic habitat zones, we have identified evergreen habitats in conjunction with landscape metrics, species assemblage, micro-habitats like slope, topography, species endemism, and proportion of core and edge species. A total of 236 species and 2,920 individuals were recorded using systematic stratified plots of 0.1 ha covering 47 plots. Hierarchical cluster analysis was done using Ward’s method. Plot information was used to identify clusters based on species density. The analysis showed five species assemblages that are quite distinct from each other in terms of dominant species. The distribution of endemic and edge species, land cover heterogeneity, and continuity of patches in these clusters were evaluated to understand the degree of disturbance and intactness at landscape scale. Integration of species assemblages and topography brought out four major elevation-slope complexes. Information on species composition (robust field survey) with spectral (hybrid classification) properties has shown 72% overall accuracy and distinguished four evergreen sub-groups and other land cover classes. The developed approach assumes great importance in the assessment of biodiversity and prioritizing the areas of conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the monitoring of forest fires through remote sensing data in Sirohi district in Rajasthan, India. Satellite remote sensing is considered as one of the possible tools in determining burnt areas and potential fire zones. It notes that burnt area statistics from satellite data offers significant information to forest managers in effective planning for ground control operation during the summer months.