Abstract

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http://ugit.net/publication_fsjoaj3qdho/geoeye_cm_ts9ypx7s/

Geo-Eye

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10.53989/bu.ge.v9i2.10

research article

SPATIO- TEMPORAL CHANGES OF FOREST COVER IN GUJARAT STATE

Dehingia

Holly

1 Surendra

2 M.Sc. Student, Department of Geography, Bangalore University

Bengaluru

India Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Bangalore University

Bengaluru

India

9 2 59

2020

Abstract

The Spatio-temporal study can be a significant way for researchers and decision-makers to monitor the status of any particular phenomena or process and so is the study of forest cover. The study reflects how forest cover has changed in different parts of Gujarat and why. The overall objective of this study is to access the Spatio-temporal changes in forest cover in Gujarat. The study is based on data collected from the Gujarat Forest Department and Forest Survey of India. Quantitative techniques were mostly used for the analysis of the data collected from 2001 to 2019. By using simple statistical techniques, it was observed that the forest cover in many areas of Gujarat has been decreasing due to natural causes as well as anthropogenic activities. Tables and figures show the Spatio-temporal changes in forest cover remarkably from 2001-2002, 2010- 2011, and 2018- 2019.

Keywords Forest cover temporal changes

None

Introduction

A Forest is land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use (FAO). According to SOFO, forests cover 31 percent of the global land area but are not equally distributed around the globe. Forest cover is defined as an area more than 1 ha in extent and having a tree canopy density of 10 percent and above (FSI). Forest cover today is altered primarily by direct human use and any conception of global change must be due to the pervasive influence of human activity on land surface conditions and processes (Yang, X. and Lo, C. P, 2002).

Assessment of Spatio-temporal changes in forest cover plays an important role in monitoring the changes in the forest resources along with the forest cover over certain spatial extents and forms the basis to support the policymakers in making decisions to ensure that a forest cover and its resources are protected. Also, there have been no known studies of the Spatio-temporal changes in the forest cover of Gujarat as a whole, which is why this study has been conducted by dividing the forest cover under three sub-heads i.e., dense forest, open forest, and scrub land.

<bold id="strong-192a876ebb564c97b4b51c4effe91838">Objectives</bold>

The present study is to assess the Spatio-temporal change in forest cover in Gujarat state.

<bold id="strong-23ad1617bfcb4ac8ba8cae870e1ae928">Study Area</bold>

Gujarat, the Land of the Legends stands bordered by Pakistan and Rajasthan in the northeast, Madhya Pradesh in the east, and Maharashtra and the Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli in the south. The Arabian Sea borders the state both to the west and the southwest. It is located between 20^◦01' to 24^◦07' north latitudes and 68^◦04' to 74^◦04' East longitude. It experiences diverse climatic conditions, wet in the southern districts and desertic in the north-west region. Summer temperature varies between 25 degrees to 45 degrees. Winter temperature varies between 15 degrees to 35 degrees and monsoon temperatures from 27 degrees to 35 degrees. Its ecosystem ranges from deserts, scrublands, grasslands, deciduous forests, and wetlands to mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, and gulfs.

The topography of Gujarat shows wide variations. It is located near the Thar desert, therefore most of the land is dry and arid in nature. Moreover, the topography of Gujarat is characterized by the small hilly tracts especially around the Rann of Kutch region.

Figure 1 Study area location map

Methodology

The present study based on secondary data was collected from various sources such as Gujarat Forest Department, Forest Survey of India, and review of literature. Quantitative techniques were mostly used for the study. Simple statistical techniques were used to facilitate visual interpretation.

a) Forest cover data of Gujarat were collected from the Gujarat Forest Department and Forest Survey of India for the period of 2001-02 to 2018-19. Here we have studied how the area under dense forest, open forest, and scrub differs in different divisions of Gujarat state. We have also included the temporal changes in the forest cover of different divisions during the period of 2001-02 to 2010-11, 2010-11 to 2018-19, and 2001-02 to 2018-19.

b) The state has been categorized into four divisions i.e., Central Gujarat, north Gujarat, Saurashtra-Kutch & south Gujarat, and the assessment has been done for 18 years.

Table 0

Divisions		No. of District	Name of District	Area (in Sq.Km)
Central Gujarat	8		Ahmedabad	7090
			Vadodara	6354
			Anand	3204
			Chota Udaipur	1192
			Dahod	3642
			Kheda	3442
			Mahisagar	2261
			Panchmahal	3481

North Gujarat	6		Gandhinagar	2140
			Aravalli	3308
			Banaskantha	10743
			Mehasana	4401
			Patan	5792
			Sabarkantha	4086

Saurashtra-Kutch	12		Rajkot	7750
			Amreli	7397
			Bhavnagar	8487
			Botad	2564
			Dev Bhumi Dwarka	4051
			Gir Somnath	3289
			Jamnagar	5980
			Junagadh	5542
			Morbi	8786
			Porbandar	2316
			Surendranagar	9238
			Kachchh	45674

South Gujarat	7		Surat	4549
			Bharuch	6509
			Dang	1766
			Narmada	2817
			Navsari	2246
			Tapi	3139
			Valsad	3008

Results and Discussions Classification of Forest Cover

Forest cover, in general, refers to the relative (in percent) or sure (in square kilometers/square miles) land area that is covered by forests.

Table 0

Class	Description
Very Dense Forest	Tree canopy density of 70% and above.
Moderately Dense Forest	Tree canopy density of 40% and more but less than 70%.
Open Forest	Tree canopy density of 10% and more but less than 40%.
Scrub	Degraded forest lands with canopy density less than 10%.

Table 1 Divisions wise Classification of Forest Cover 2001-02 in Gujarat State

					Area in Sq. Km
S.N	Divisions		Dense Forest	Open Forest	Scrub	Total
1	Central Gujarat	Area	1319	1207	350	2876
1	Central Gujarat	%	7.5	6.9	2.0	16.4
2	North	Area	1457	806	579	2842
2	North	%	8.3	4.6	3.3	16.2
3	Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat	Area	1871	2854	1358	6083
3	Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat	%	10.7	16.3	7.7	34.6
4	South	Area	4026	1612	121	5759
4	South	%	22.9	9.2	0.7	32.8
Gujarat		Area	8673	6479	2408	17560
Gujarat		%	49.4	36.9	13.7	100.0

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Table 3 shows Division Wise Classification of Forest Cover 2001-02 in Gujarat state. It has been depicted in the figure, which shows that-Central Gujarat has the lowest Dense Forest Cover of about 7.5% in comparison to the other divisions due to less rainfall, Open Forest of about 6.9%, and Scrub land of about 2% of the total forest cover of the state. North Gujarat has a Dense Forest Cover of about 8.3%, has the lowest Open Forest of about 4.6%, and Scrub land of about 3.3% of the total forest cover of the state. Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has 10% of Dense Forest, has the highest Open Forest cover as compared to the other divisions of about 16.3% due to success in social forestry plantations and re-growth of Prosopis Juliflora and highest Scrub land cover of about 7.7% of the total forest cover of the state. South Gujarat has the highest Dense Forest cover of about 22.9% due to the highest rainfall received in the hills than in the plains, Open Forest cover of 9.2%, and Scrub land of about 0.7%.

Figure 2 Forest Cover in Gujarat State from 2001-02

Table 4 shows the division-wise classification of forest cover 2010-11 in Gujarat state. It has been depicted in the figure, which shows that-

Central Gujarat has the lowest Dense Forest cover of about 3.7% due to less rainfall compared to the rest of the divisions, Open Forest of 9.9%, and Scrub land of about 0.9% of the total forest cover of the state. North Gujarat has a Dense Forest cover of 4.7%, Open Forest cover of 7.6%, and Scrub land of about 2.4% of the total forest cover of the state. Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has a Dense Forest cover of 9.6%, has the highest Open Forest cover due to afforestation within and outside recorded forest area, and Scrub land of about 22.3% and 5.6% respectively. South Gujarat has the highest Dense Forest cover of 19.9% due to the highest rainfall received in the hills than in the plain areas, Open Forest cover of 13.2%, and has the lowest Scrub land cover of 0.3% of the total forest cover of the state.

Table 2 Divisions wise Classification of Forest Cover 2010-11 in Gujarat State

					Area in Sq. Km
S.N	Divisions		Dense Forest	Open Forest	Scrub	Total
1	Central Gujarat	Area	593	1600	153	2346
1	Central Gujarat	%	3.7	9.9	0.9	14.5
2	North	Area	755	1227	383	2365
2	North	%	4.7	7.6	2.4	14.6
3	Saurashtra-Kutch	Area	1557	3611	903	6071
3	Saurashtra-Kutch	%	9.6	22.3	5.6	37.5
		Area	3233	2139	56	5428
		%	19.9	13.2	0.3	33.5
Gujarat		Area	6138	8577	1495	16210
Gujarat		%	37.9	52.9	9.2	100.0

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Figure 3 Forest Cover in Gujarat State from 2010-11

Table 5 shows the Division Wise Classification of Forest Cover 2018-19 in Gujarat state. The data depicted in the figure shows that-

Central Gujarat has the lowest Dense Forest cover of 3.1%, Open Forest cover of 9.8%, and the lowest Scrub land cover of 1.2% of the total forest cover of the state. South Gujarat has 4.3% of Dense Forest cover, has the lowest Open Forest cover of about 7.6%, and Scrub land of about 3.4%. Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has a Dense Forest cover of 8.7%, has the highest Open Forest cover, and Scrub land of about 23% and 6.8% respectively. South Gujarat has the highest Dense Forest cover of 16.9%, Open Forest cover of about 14%, and has the lowest Scrub land of about 1.2% of the total forest cover of the state.

Table 3 <bold id="strong-ffe8e0438ac5466eb9e4251ba5429d87"/>Divisions wise Classification of Forest Cover 2018-19 in Gujarat State

					Area in Sq. Km
S.N	Divisions		Dense Forest	Open Forest	Scrub	Total
1	Central	Area	532	1657	210	2399
1	Central	%	3.1	9.8	1.2	14.2
2	North	Area	730	1278	578	2586
2	North	%	4.3	7.6	3.4	15.3
	Saurashtra-	Area	1462	3887	1146	6495
	Saurashtra-	%	8.7	23.0	6.8	38.5
		Area	2853	2357	200	5410
		%	16.9	14.0	1.2	32.0
		Area	5577	9179	2134	16890
		%	33.0	54.3	12.6	100.0

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Figure 4 Forest Cover in Gujarat State from 2018-19

Table 6 depicts the temporal changes of the Dense Forest cover of Gujarat state for the period of 2001-2019. It has been observed that-From 2001-02 to 2010-11, Central Gujarat has witnessed a change of -3.8% and an additional decrease of -0.6 from 2010-11. From 2001-02 to 2018-2019, there has been an overall change in the

The dense forest cover of -4.4%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, North Gujarat has witnessed a change of -3.6% and an additional decrease of -0.4% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Dense Forest cover of -4%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has witnessed a change of -1.1% and an additional decrease of -0.9% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Dense Forest cover of -2%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, South Gujarat has witnessed a change of -3.0% and an additional decrease of -3.0% from 20101-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Dense Forest cover of -6.0%.

Table 4 Divisions wise Temporal changes of Dense Forest Cover in Gujarat state

S.N	Divisions	2001-02	2010-11	2018-19	Changes from 2001-02 to 2010-11	Changes from 2010-11 to 2018-19	Changes from 2001-02 to 2018-19
1	Central Gujarat	7.5	3.7	3.1	-3.8	-0.6	-4.4
2	North Gujarat	8.3	4.7	4.3	-3.6	-0.4	-4.0
3	Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat	10.7	9.6	8.7	-1.1	-0.9	-2.0
4	South Gujarat	22.9	19.9	16.9	-3.0	-3.0	-6.0
Gujarat		49.4	37.9	33.0	-11.5	-4.8	-16.4

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Table 7 depicts the Division Wise Temporal Changes in the Open Forest Cover of Gujarat State from 2001 through 2019. It has been observed that-From 2001-02 to 2010-11, Central Gujarat has witnessed an increase of 3% but it got decreased by -0.1% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Open Forest covers of 2.9%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, North Gujarat has witnessed a change of 3% of its Open Forest cover and there has not been any further change till 2018-19. From 2010-02 to 2010-11, Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has witnessed an applauding increment in its Open Forest cover by 6% and an additional increment of 0.7% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Open Forest covers of 6.7%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, South Gujarat has witnessed an increase of 4% in the Open Forest cover and an additional increase of 0.8% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change of 4.8% in the Open Forest covers of the state.

Table 5 <bold id="strong-31acf0191a4241c68606bccb0d85cf84"/>Divisions wise Temporal changes of Open Forest Cover in Gujarat state

S.N	Divisions	2001-02	2010-11	2018-19	Changes from 2001-02 to 2010-11	Changes from 2010-11 to 2018-19	Changes from 2001-02 to 2018-19
1	Central Gujarat	6.9	9.9	9.8	3.0	-0.1	2.9
2	North Gujarat	4.6	7.6	7.6	3.0	0.0	3.0
3	Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat	16.3	22.3	23.0	6.0	0.7	6.7
4	South Gujarat	9.2	13.2	14.0	4.0	0.8	4.8
Gujarat		36.9	52.9	54.3	16.0	1.4	17.4

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Table 6 Divisions wise Temporal changes of Scrub Forest Cover in Gujarat state

S.N

Divisions

2001-02

2010-11

2018-19

Changes from 2001-02 to 2010-11

Changes from 2010-11 to 2018-19

Changes from 2001-02 to 2018-19

1

Central Gujarat

2.0

0.9

1.2

-1.1

0.3

-0.8

2

North Gujarat

3.3

2.4

3.4

-0.9

1.0

0.1

3

Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat

7.7

5.6

6.8

-2.1

1.2

-0.9

4

South Gujarat

0.7

0.3

1.2

-0.4

0.9

0.5

Gujarat

13.7

9.2

12.6

-4.5

3.4

-1.1

Source: Gujarat Forest Department

Table 8 depicts the Division Wise Temporal Changes in the Scrub Cover of Gujarat State from 2001 through 2019. It has been observed that-

From 2001-02 to 2010-11, Central Gujarat has witnessed a decrease of -1.1% of its Scrub covers but it got increase by 0.3% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Scrub covers of -0.8%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, North Gujarat has witnessed a change of -0.9% but it got increase by 1.0% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Scrub cover of 0.1%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, Saurashtra-Kutch Gujarat has witnessed a change of -2.1% but it got increase by 1.2% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Scrub covers of -0.9%. From 2001-02 to 2010-11, South Gujarat has witnessed a change of -0.4% but it got increase by 0.9% from 2010-11 to 2018-19. From 2001-02 to 2018-19, there has been an overall change in the Scrub covers of 0.5%. We can further observe that Dense Forest is seen to be gradually decreasing its forest cover due to private felling in trees outside the forest, large scale uprooting of Prosopis Juliflora from private and revenue lands, clearance in encroached areas, forest fires, etc while Open Forest cover is seen to be increasing in all the four divisions due to conservation efforts and afforestation within and outside recorded forest areas, management interventions like regeneration and departmental plantations, agroforestry, etc and there have not been many changes in the Scrub cover in all the divisions since minutes changes are only to be seen there.

Conclusion

Assessing the Spatio-temporal changes in the forest cover facilitates monitoring the changes over a certain areal extent and clears the way for researchers and decision-makers in planning for its management and ensuring its safety. But in today’s world due to most of the anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, encroachment, infrastructure projects, etc. every year large areas of forest are being destroyed for direct human use. This study shows Gujarat as well has witnessed a decrease in the dense forest cover and scrub lands from the period 2001-2019 due to forest fires, deforestation, private felling of trees, etc. Apart from it, Gujarat has also witnessed an increase in open forest cover due to management interventions like regeneration, agro forestry, etc. Thus, it is seen that, though the illicit human behavior has brought many changes in the forest cover, the Gujarat government is making a great effort and has managed to restore some of the areas to a great extent.

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