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1.
Stan Stevens 《The Geographical journal》2003,169(3):255-277
Over the past 50 years the Sherpa-inhabited Mt Everest region of Nepal has become a premier international mountaineering and trekking destination. Tourism development has brought prosperity to many Sherpas. It has also, however, had adverse impacts on regional forests and alpine vegetation because of the use of firewood by camping groups and inns and the felling of trees to construct inns and other tourist facilities. Concern that tourism was causing widespread deforestation helped catalyse the 1976 establishment of an inhabited protected area, Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) National Park, in the Khumbu region and spurred the implementation of a series of forest conservation and alternative energy development measures both within the national park and in a recently declared buffer zone in the adjacent Pharak region. This paper examines the changing pressures that tourism has placed on regional forests and alpine vegetation over the past half century and their role in regional vegetation change. This analysis is based primarily on detailed accounts of past and present forest use and change obtained during fieldwork conducted in all Khumbu and Pharak villages, along with corroborating evidence from early foreign visitors' accounts and photographs. Contrary to some early reports it now appears there has actually been little deforestation since 1950. The continuing use of firewood by inns, however, has contributed to the thinning of forests in some parts of the national park and to the depletion of shrub juniper in the most heavily visited alpine regions. There has been a greater impact on forests just outside the national park, which have been heavily thinned over an extensive area in order to provide timber to build inns within the national park. 相似文献
2.
Traditional land use systems are threatened by land use intensification and resulting land cover transitions in northern areas. This article examines cumulative land cover changes and their impacts on reindeer grazing grounds in the Kyrö reindeer herding district in northern Finland. Land cover transitions were studied using Landsat TM and OLI images and topographic maps. The results showed that the herding district has experienced notable land cover changes during the past decades, and most of these changes were directly related to forestry. The proportion of continuous coniferous forests of the total forest cover declined from 92% to 78% between 1987 and 2013. Approximately one third of the forests outside current conservation areas were disturbed by forest management by 2013, and remaining forests were notably more fragmented than forests within conservation areas. The extent of the road and path networks expanded considerably between 1960s and 2010 as a result of increasing logging and tourism. Accumulation of disturbances gradually results in loss of key resources and declined quality of the landscape mosaic from the reindeer herding perspective, which can pose a serious threat to long-term sustainability of the livelihood. Rapid land cover changes in non-protected areas highlight an increasingly important role of conservation areas in maintaining resources for reindeer husbandry in the face of intensifying land use. Sustainable management of resources outside conservation areas requires careful participatory planning and efficient cumulative impact assessment of different land use activities. 相似文献
3.
Charlotte Seidenberg Ole Mertz Morten Bilde Kias 《Geografisk tidskrift / udgivet af Bestyrelsen for Det Kongelige danske geografiske selskab》2013,113(2):71-80
Shifting cultivation is often blamed for deforestation in tropical upland areas. Based on a case study of three villages in northern Lao PDR, this paper combines household surveys with a remote sensing based analysis of forest cover, covering the period 1989–1999, in order to analyse changes in shifting cultivation practices and livelihood strategies and the impact of these on deforestation. Due to population pressure and relocation of villages, easily accessed land is increasingly scarce and fallow periods have been shortened during the 1990s. A net annual deforestation of about 1% was found in the area during the study period. This deforestation rate reflects shorter fallow periods in secondary forests rather than encroachment on mature forests, which are not used for cultivation by the farmers in the three villages. Farmers rate scarce labour as a major constraint on shifting cultivation; nonetheless, a tendency towards lower labour input with shorter fallow periods is observed, contradicting conventional intensification theory. Livelihoods are diversifying through the establishment of plantations, cultivation of wet rice and adoption of animal husbandry, but given the socio-economic conditions in the area, shifting cultivation is likely to remain the most suitable farming system in the near future. 相似文献
4.
西伯利亚是全球环境变化的重要敏感性区域,但以往缺乏该区域中高分辨率地表覆盖数据,对其地表覆盖的整体分布与变化缺乏深入的认识。本文利用中国新近研制的2000、2010年两期30 m分辨率地表覆盖数据产品GlobeLand30,对2000-2010年西伯利亚地表覆盖的空间分布格局、变化幅度、区域差异及主要地类的变化原因进行了综合分析。研究发现：①西伯利亚地表覆盖的空间分布现状具有明显的地带性特征。②10年间,西伯利亚地区地表覆盖整体变化幅度较大,其中林地及草地呈显著缩减、湿地呈较大幅度增加、耕地呈微弱减少、人造地表呈增加态势。③10年间,西伯利亚地表覆盖变化具有显著的区域差异性。变化最显著的为西西伯利亚地区,其中以湿地增加最明显,主要分布于鄂毕河—叶尼塞河流域,林地、草地及耕地减少集中于西伯利亚西南部。④人类活动和气候变暖是引发西伯利亚地表覆盖变化的主要原因。大规模林地砍伐导致林地减少;冰冻层消融,林地、草地和水体向湿地的转化是湿地增加的主要原因;耕地的人为废弃和撂荒导致耕地面积有所减少。 相似文献
5.
甘达基河流域(Gandaki River Basin,GRB)是喜马拉雅中部地区的一部分,该地区栖息着许多珍稀的野生动物。由于气候和人类活动的影响,许多珍稀保护物种的生境处于危险之中。本研究基于最大熵(MaxEnt)模型,运用生物气候、土地覆被和DEM数据,分析各环境要素对棕尾虹雉(Lophophorusimpejanus)的生境适宜性的影响,评估棕尾虹雉现在状况和未来栖息地分布的变化。研究表明,目前棕尾虹雉的高度适宜栖息地面积约为749 km^2,主要分布在流域北部、东部和西部,尤其是郎塘国家公园、马纳斯卢峰自然保护区和安纳布尔纳峰自然保护区等保护区内。到2050年,棕尾虹雉的高度适宜栖息地面积将减少至561 km^2,主要在流域北部和西北部(即Chhyo,Tatopani,Humde和Chame地区)。未来环境变化的模拟表明,由于适宜栖息地面积的减少,棕尾虹雉面临的生存风险将增加。 相似文献
6.
7.
Stephen G. Perz 《The Professional geographer》2007,59(1):105-114
This article critically reviews forest transition theory, which posits a decline in forest cover followed by expansion during the course of development. Whereas case studies in advanced industrial nations provided an empirical foundation, more recent cross‐national modeling efforts and studies in developing regions have raised doubts. Forest transition theory has limitations in its concept of forests, its treatment of forest dynamics, its explanation for forest transitions, and its generalizability. This critique provides the basis for research needs to link studies of forest dynamics on various timescales to other land use/land cover research, as via historical‐comparative methods and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks. 相似文献
8.
Human-driven topographic effects on the distribution of forest in a flat,lowland agricul-tural region简 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Mette V. ODGAARD Peder K. B CHER Tommy DALGAARD Jesper E. MOESLUND Jens-Christian SVENNING 《地理学报(英文版)》2014,24(1):76-92
Complex topography buffers forests against deforestation in mountainous regions. However, it is unknown if terrain also shapes forest distribution in lowlands where human impacts are likely to be less constrained by terrain. In such regions, if important at all, to- pographic effects will depend on cultural-historical factors and thus be human-driven （an- thropogenic） rather than natural, except in regions where the general climate or extreme soils limit the occurrence of forests. We used spatial regression modeling to assess the extent to which topographic factors explain forest distribution （presence-absence at a 48x48 m resolu- tion） in a lowland agricultural region （Denmark, 43,075 km2） at regional and landscape scales （whole study area and 10x10 km grid cells, respectively）, how landscape-scale for- est-topography relationships vary geographically, and which potential drivers （topographic heterogeneity, forest cover, clay content, coastal/inland location） determine this geographic heterogeneity. Given a moist temperate climate and non-extreme soils all landscapes in Denmark would naturally be largely forest covered, and any topographic relationships will be totally or primarily human-driven. At regional scale, topographic predictors explained only 5% of the distribution of forest. In contrast, the explanatory power of topography varied from 0%-61% at landscape scale, with clear geographic patterning. Explanatory power of topog- raphy at landscape scale was moderately dependent on the potential drivers, with topog- raphic control being strongest in areas with high topographic heterogeneity and little forest cover. However, these conditioning effects were themselves geographically variable. Our findings show that topography by shaping human land-use can affect forest distribution even in flat, lowland regions, but especially via localized, geographically variable effects. 相似文献
9.
This article examines two key aspects of land‐cover change in the south of the Chocó region. First, it assesses and compares the local impact on forest condition of labor‐intensive and capital‐intensive commercial logging. Second, it assesses the regional significance and permanency of these changes. Studies of land‐cover change associated with commercial logging have focused almost exclusively on capital‐intensive extraction and have assumed that after logging, degraded forests are transformed into agricultural cover. This study shows that both capital‐ and labor‐intensive logging result in similar land‐cover changes (i.e., forest degradation) if the timber sought is the same. However, labor‐intensive loggers also seek timber species not sought by capital‐intensive loggers, and this impact is statistically different from the impact of the extraction of the first group of species. Results also show that only a small fraction (20–30 percent) of the area logged is later converted to agricultural cover types. The persistence of logged forests means that up to 20 percent of the remaining forest cover could correspond to forests with significant and lasting levels of degradation. Furthermore, the different production requirements for each group of species also mean that there is a spatial differentiation in the impact of logging in the region. Logged forests are arranged into two consecutive corridors on each side of access routes (e.g., rivers). The first corridor corresponds to a narrow (approximately 1‐km) band of high‐intensity degradation. The second, broader (approximately 2‐km) forest band, with lower levels of degradation, extends inland along first‐tier corridors. A key factor determining the permanency of this land‐cover pattern is the strong control local communities have over the land in the region. This limits the spread of patterns observed in other frontier areas, especially the conversion of logged forests into agricultural cover. 相似文献
10.
Tropical forests have been recognized as having global conservation importance. However, they are being rapidly destroyed in many regions of the world. Regular monitoring of forests is necessary for an adaptive management approach and the successful implementation of ecosystem management. The present study analyses the temporal changes in forest ecosystem structure in tribal dominated Malkangiri district of Orissa, India, during 1973–2004 period based on digitized forest cover maps using geographic information system (GIS) and interpretation of satellite data. Three satellite images Landsat MSS (1973), Landsat TM (1990) and IRS P6 LISS III (2004) were used to determine changes. Six land cover types were delineated which includes dense forest, open forest, scrub land, agriculture, barren land and water body. Different forest types were also demarcated within forest class for better understanding the degradation pattern in each forest types. The results showed that there was a net decrease of 475.7 km2 forest cover (rate of deforestation = 2.34) from 1973 to 1990 and 402.3 km2 (rate of deforestation = 2.27) from 1990 to 2004. Forest cover has changed over time depending on a few factors such as large-scale deforestation, shifting cultivation, dam and road construction, unregulated management actions, and social pressure. A significant increase of 1222.8 km2 agriculture area (1973–2004) clearly indicated the conversion of forest cover to agricultural land. These alterations had resulted in significant environmental consequences, including decline in forest cover, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity. There is an urgent need for rational management of the remaining forest for it to be able to survive beyond next decades. Particular attention must be paid to tropical forests, which are rapidly being deforested. 相似文献
11.
A case study of land cover change (1950-2003) and runoff in a Mediterranean catchment 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
Dennis M. Fox Emmanuelle WitzViolaine Blanc Cécile SouliéMarc Penalver-Navarro Alain Dervieux 《Applied geography (Sevenoaks, England)》2012,32(2):810-821
Mediterranean environments have been subject to major land cover change since the end of the second world war. Housing, agricultural activities, forests, green spaces and other land uses have shifted due to urbanisation and tourism. These changes influence runoff, and municipal authorities often cannot estimate the net impact of complex land cover transitions. During this period, elected representatives have become increasingly sensitive to the risks of flooding and have implemented a number of channel management strategies. The main objective of this case study was to analyse the impact of land cover change on total storm runoff between 1950 and 2003 in a Mediterranean catchment near St Tropez, France. A secondary objective was to compare these changes to the impacts of channel management on bankfull discharge. Aerial photographs were used to classify land cover in 3 urban categories, vineyards and bare soil, forests, and green spaces. Stream discharge was estimated using a distributed event based total runoff approach. After validating the model for a large winter event (114 mm) for 1982, runoff was calculated for the same event for 1950 and 2003. Land cover changes occurred mainly in the alluvial plain area. Total gauge catchment urban area increased from 30.1 ha to 393.8 between 1950 and 2003 at the expense mainly of agricultural land, but this was compensated in part by an increase in grassed area. Some of the loss in vineyards was replaced by clearing forested land on the first hills close to the plain. Bank stabilisation and channel maintenance since the 1980’s reduced surface roughness and increased channel area, thereby greatly increasing bankfull discharge. While the impact of urbanisation on runoff was small, channel management effects increased bankfull discharge substantially. Flood damage from extreme events was not studied here. 相似文献
12.
The Koshi River Basin is in the middle of the Himalayas, a tributary of the Ganges River and a very important cross-border watershed. Across the basin there are large changes in altitude, habitat complexity, ecosystem integrity, land cover diversity and regional difference and this area is sensitive to global climate change. Based on Landsat TM images, vegetation mapping, field investigations and 3S technology, we compiled high-precision land cover data for the Koshi River Basin and analyzed current land cover characteristics. We found that from source to downstream, land cover in the Koshi River Basin in 2010 was composed of water body (glacier), bare land, sparse vegetation, grassland, wetland, shrubland, forest, cropland, water body (river or lake) and built-up areas. Among them, grassland, forest, bare land and cropland are the main types, accounting for 25.83%, 21.19%, 19.31% and 15.09% of the basin’s area respectively. The composition and structure of the Koshi River Basin land cover types are different between southern and northern slopes. The north slope is dominated by grassland, bare land and glacier; forest, bare land and glacier are mainly found on northern slopes. Northern slopes contain nearly seven times more grassland than southern slopes; while 97.13% of forest is located on southern slopes. Grassland area on northern slope is 6.67 times than on southern slope. The vertical distribution of major land cover types has obvious zonal characteristics. Land cover types from low to high altitudes are cropland, forest, Shrubland and mixed cropland, grassland, sparse vegetation, bare land and water bodies. These results provide a scientific basis for the study of land use and cover change in a critical region and will inform ecosystem protection, sustainability and management in this and other alpine transboundary basins. 相似文献
13.
中南半岛森林覆被变化研究进展 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
中南半岛森林覆被是热带地区极为重要的自然资源,对当地生态环境和社会经济发展都有重要影响。本文从遥感监测与制图、时空变化格局、影响因素和生态环境效应4 个方面,系统总结和评述了中南半岛森林覆被变化的研究进展,并对研究问题和发展方向进行了讨论。研究表明：①中南半岛森林覆被遥感监测数据源由光学遥感逐渐转向雷达遥感,监测方法向采用多分类器和多源信息转变,监测对象主要是天然森林覆被,人工林监测仍面临多重困难;②1980-2010 年期间,中南半岛不同地区森林覆被变化时空差异明显,其中,在1990 年前森林覆被面积为净增加,之后净减少;在空间上,泰国、老挝、缅甸和柬埔寨森林面积在1990 年后均持续减少,只有越南呈增长趋势;③中南半岛森林覆被变化的直接驱动因素主要为经济林扩张、刀耕火种农业、道路建设和商业采伐,间接驱动因素包括人口、社会经济和政策等因素,主要表现为森林数量变化、森林退化和森林再生/恢复等方面,其程度与干扰方式、强度、频率直接相关;④中南半岛森林覆被变化的生态环境效应主要体现在水分效应、大气环境效应、土壤效应和生物效应4方面。 相似文献
14.
Vertical differentiation of land cover in the central Himalayas 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Characterized by obvious altitudinal variation, habitat complexity, and diversity in land cover, the Mt. Qomolangma region within the central Himalayas is one of the most sensitive areas to climate change in the world. At the same time, because the Mt. Qomolangma region possesses the most complete natural vertical spectrum in the world, it is also an ideal place to study the vertical structure of alpine land cover. In this study, land cover data for 2010 along with digital elevation model data were used to define three methods for dividing the northern and southern slopes in the Mt. Qomolangma region, i.e., the ridgeline method, the sample transect method, and the sector method. The altitudinal distributions of different land cover types were then investigated for both the northern and southern slopes of the Mt. Qomolangma region by using the above three division methods along with Arc GIS and MATLAB tools. The results indicate that the land cover in the study region was characterized by obviously vertical zonation with the south-six and north-four pattern of vertical spectrum that reflected both the natural vertical structure of vegetation and the effects of human activities. From low to high elevation, the main land cover types were forests, grasslands, sparse vegetation, bare land, and glacier/snow cover. The compositions and distributions of land cover types differed significantly between the northern and southern slopes; the southern slope exhibited more complex land cover distributions with wider elevation ranges than the northern slope. The area proportion of each land cover type also varied with elevation. Accordingly, the vertical distribution patterns of different land cover types on the southern and northern slopes could be divided into four categories, with glaciers/snow cover, sparse vegetation, and grasslands conforming to unimodal distributions. The distribution of bare land followed a unimodal pattern on the southern slope but a bimodal pattern on the northern slope. Finally, the use of different slope division methods produced similar vertical belt structures on the southern slope but different ones on the northern slope. Among the three division methods, the sector method was better to reflect the natural distribution pattern of land cover. 相似文献
15.
WU Xue PAUDEL Basanta ZHANG Yili LIU Linshan WANG Zhaofeng XIE Fangdi GAO Jungang SUN Xiaomin 《地理学报(英文版)》2021,31(10):1419-1436
The study of mountain vertical natural belts is an important component in the study of regional differentiation.These areas are especially sensitive to climate change and have indicative function,which is the core of three-dimensional zonality research.Thus,based on high precision land cover and digital elevation model (DEM) data,and supported by MATLAB and ArcGIS analyses,this paper aimed to study the present situation and changes of the land cover vertical belts between 1990 and 2015 on the northern and southern slopes of the Koshi River Basin (KRB).Results showed that the vertical belts on both slopes were markedly dif-ferent from one another.The vertical belts on the southern slope were mainly dominated by cropland,forest,bare land,and glacier and snow cover.In contrast,grassland,bare land,sparse vegetation,glacier and snow cover dominated the northern slope.Study found that the main vertical belts across the KRB within this region have not changed substantially over the past 25 years.In contrast,on the southern slope,the upper limits of cropland and bare land have moved to higher elevation,while the lower limits of forest and glacier and snow cover have moved to higher elevation.The upper limit of alpine grassland on the northern slope retreated and moved to higher elevation,while the lower limits of glacier and snow cover and vegetation moved northward to higher elevations.Changes in the vertical belt were influenced by climate change and human activities over time.Cropland was mainly controlled by human activities and climate warming,and the reduced precipitation also led to the abandonment of cropland,at least to a certain extent.Changes in grassland and forest ecosystems were predominantly influenced by both human activities and climate change.At the same time,glacier and snow cover far away from human activities was also mainly influenced by climate warming. 相似文献
16.
Mangrove forests provide vital ecosystem services for millions of people living in coastal communities. The expansion of aquaculture production and urbanization have been identified as major causes of mangrove clearance in South-East Asia. The Ca Mau peninsula in Vietnam is leading the country in shrimp aquaculture and at the same time, the region is home to the largest remaining mangrove forests. This study aims to assess the spatial and temporal mangrove forest dynamics in Ngoc Hien district in Ca Mau. Land cover change and fragmentation are quantified using remote sensing imagery consisting of a series of SPOT5 scenes from 2004, 2009 and 2013. The results indicate a high turnover of land cover change, with close to half of the mangrove forests being affected by land cover changes between 2004 and 2014. Net changes in mangrove forest are found to average −0.34% annually, characterized by deforestation between 2004 and 2009 and afforestation of between 2009 and 2013. Fragmentation remains a plausible threat; approximately 35.4% of the mangrove forests in Ngoc Hien are part of interior ‘core’ forests. Forest zones with different regulation regimes play a significant role in shaping the geographic distribution of mangrove forest changes. The insights into recent mangrove forest dynamics facilitate the informed discussion on improving future protection of the mangrove forests abiding anthropogenic pressures. 相似文献
17.
Land use/cover, landforms and fragmentation patterns in a tropical dry forest in the southern Pacific region of Mexico 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Leopoldo Galicia Alba Esmeralda Zarco-Arista Karla Ivette Mendoza-Robles José Luis Palacio-Prieto Arturo García-Romero 《Singapore journal of tropical geography》2008,29(2):137-154
In spite of widely documented studies of deforestation rates and land use/cover changes in tropical dry forests in Mexico, relatively little is known about fragmentation patterns in such forests. This study defines the spatial distribution of landforms and land use/cover types the lower Papagayo River basin and examines their influence on fragmentation patterns and biological diversity in a tropical dry forest in that southern Pacific region. The land use/cover map was constructed from aerial photographs, Landsat TM imagery (2000) and fieldwork. Landform units were defined based on altitude, slope, lithology and morphology. Landscape fragmentation parameters were obtained using FRAGSTATS (version 3.3) considering the numbers of patches, mean, minimum and maximum patch size, edge density, total edge and connectivity. Results show tropical dry forest to be remnant vegetation (~11 per cent), characterized by isolation and low connectivity. Land use/cover types have different effects on fragmentation patterns. Agriculture and cattle raising produce similar numbers of patches, but with a different mean size; and human settlements have a scattered distribution pattern. The abandonment of rural agricultural livelihoods has favoured the expansion of secondary tropical dry forest characterized by continuity and high connectivity, which suggests a high regeneration potential from land abandonment. It can be concluded that tropical dry forest fragmentation and recovery at regional scales depend on such landscape attributes as lithology, slope, geomorphology and management. 相似文献
18.
监测土地利用/覆盖及生态系统服务价值变化是评估生态工程效益最直接有效的方式。以京津风沙源治理工程区为研究区,基于土地利用/覆盖变化面积和植被覆盖度等指标,从土地利用/覆盖类型转换和土地覆盖渐变两个角度揭示区域土地利用/覆盖变化过程;并运用改进的当量因子法,评估同期生态系统服务价值的变化。结果表明：区域草地面积超过总面积的一半,总体上呈现草地和耕地集中分布,林地、沙丘零散镶嵌的格局。1990—2018年,区域沙地、草地面积减少,耕地、林地面积增加;同时,沙地上表现出植被覆盖增加的渐变特征,增速为每10年约增长4.22%。同期区域生态系统服务价值呈现出先减少后增加的趋势,生态工程实施后,2010—2018年生态系统服务价值增加明显。1990—2018年,生态系统服务价值总体上增加了3 655.21亿元,其中,由土地利用/覆盖类型变化导致的价值增加量为120.53亿元,而由土地覆盖渐变导致的增加量为5 355.04亿元。土地覆盖渐变对生态系统服务价值的影响不容忽视,我们建议在生态建设过程中,不仅要重视退耕还林、未利用地造林种草等土地利用/覆盖方式的改变,更要关注草地和林地的修复和恢复,注重生态工程成果的维持和质量的提升。 相似文献
19.
《The Professional geographer》2013,65(4):477-490
Abstract This article examines two key aspects of land-cover change in the south of the Chocó region. First, it assesses and compares the local impact on forest condition of labor-intensive and capital-intensive commercial logging. Second, it assesses the regional significance and permanency of these changes. Studies of land-cover change associated with commercial logging have focused almost exclusively on capital-intensive extraction and have assumed that after logging, degraded forests are transformed into agricultural cover. This study shows that both capital- and labor-intensive logging result in similar land-cover changes (i.e., forest degradation) if the timber sought is the same. However, labor-intensive loggers also seek timber species not sought by capital-intensive loggers, and this impact is statistically different from the impact of the extraction of the first group of species. Results also show that only a small fraction (20–30 percent) of the area logged is later converted to agricultural cover types. The persistence of logged forests means that up to 20 percent of the remaining forest cover could correspond to forests with significant and lasting levels of degradation. Furthermore, the different production requirements for each group of species also mean that there is a spatial differentiation in the impact of logging in the region. Logged forests are arranged into two consecutive corridors on each side of access routes (e.g., rivers). The first corridor corresponds to a narrow (approximately 1-km) band of high-intensity degradation. The second, broader (approximately 2-km) forest band, with lower levels of degradation, extends inland along first-tier corridors. A key factor determining the permanency of this land-cover pattern is the strong control local communities have over the land in the region. This limits the spread of patterns observed in other frontier areas, especially the conversion of logged forests into agricultural cover. 相似文献
20.
热带森林覆被的时空动态评价——以印度Malkangiri district of Orissa为例 总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0
Tropical forests have been recognized as having global conservation importance. However,they are being rapidly destroyed in many regions of the world. Regular monitoring of forests is necessary for an adaptive management approach and the successful implementation of ecosystem management. The present study analyses the temporal changes in forest ecosystem structure in tribal dominated Malkangiri district of Orissa,India,during 1973-2004 period based on digitized forest cover maps using geographic information system (GIS) and interpretation of satellite data. Three satellite images Landsat MSS (1973),Landsat TM (1990) and IRS P6 LISS III (2004) were used to determine changes. Six land cover types were delineated which includes dense forest,open forest,scrub land,agriculture,barren land and water body. Different forest types were also demarcated within forest class for better understanding the degradation pattern in each forest types. The results showed that there was a net decrease of 475.7 km2 forest cover (rate of deforestation = 2.34) from 1973 to 1990 and 402.3 km2 (rate of deforestation = 2.27) from 1990 to 2004. Forest cover has changed over time depending on a few factors such as large-scale deforestation,shifting cultivation,dam and road construction,unregulated management actions,and social pressure. A significant increase of 1222.8 km2 agriculture area (1973-2004) clearly indicated the conversion of forest cover to agricultural land. These alterations had resulted in significant environmental consequences,including decline in forest cover,soil erosion,and loss of biodiversity. There is an urgent need for rational management of the remaining forest for it to be able to survive beyond next decades. Particular attention must be paid to tropical forests,which are rapidly being deforested. 相似文献