Research Article | Published: 31 March 2025

Geospatial analysis of natural grasslands in Kerala using Remote Sensing techniques

Veeramani Selvaraj, Ramesh Babu Muthukrishnan, Alby Jacob Mattathil, Patil Suyog Subashrao and Suresh Babu

Indian Journal of Forestry | Volume: 48 | Issue: 1 | Page No. 38-44 | 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2025-5RP7M5 | Cite this article

Abstract

The southern Western Ghats host abundant but fragmented grasslands, challenging to map due to rugged terrain and frequent cloud weather. This study utilized Sentinel-2A/B multi-spectral, Sentinel-1 radar, and Global DSM data on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to produce an 88%-accurate thematic map of grassland distribution. Kerala’s forest divisions were found to contain 1131.09 km2 of grassland in 2024, with the Munnar division having the largest area. Historical data showed grasslands covering 469.95 km2 in 1985 and 462.88 km2 in 2005, followed by growth attributed to improved remote sensing and land-use changes. The Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department used the results for strategic planning. Accurate mapping is key to managing and sustaining these vital ecosystems.

Keywords

Decadal LULC, Google Earth Engine, Grassland, Multi-model Remote Sensing Identification, Random Forest, Time series analysis

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How to cite

Selvaraj, V., Muthukrishnan, R.B., Mattathil, A.J., Subashrao, P.S. and S.B., 2025. Geospatial analysis of natural grasslands in Kerala using Remote Sensing techniques. Indian Journal of Forestry, 48(1), pp.38-44. https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2025-5RP7M5

Publication History

Manuscript Received on 04 December 2024

Manuscript Revised on 03 March 2025

Manuscript Accepted on 27 March 2025

Manuscript Published on 31 March 2025

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