CONSERVATION PLANNING FOR THE WESTERN GHATS OF KERALA - II - ASSESSMENT OF HABITAT LOSS AND DEGRADATION

Habitat change analyses for conservation planning in India were hamper ed by lack of efforts to utilize the existing spatial data. While, tra ditionally, most change analyses involving remote sensing data were of short term in nature (less than or equal to 10 years), the ecological history studies of long term (>10 years) were essentially nonspatial in nature, and have contributed little to site-specific explanation on dynamics of habitat loss and consequent impact on biodiversity. In th is study, GIS tools are applied to analyse habitat loss, and transform ation over a period of 30 years beginning late 1950s for Western Chats of Kerala, It is shown that over a thirty-year period the evergreen/s emi-evergreen habitat has declined by 47% while the deciduous habitat has marginally increased by 7%. Landscape variables such as perimeter/ area ratio were shown to be better indicators of habitat degradation r ather than simple estimates of habitat loss. Attention is drawn to bui lding a comprehensive data base for conservation planning.