Landscape cover dynamics pattern in Meghalaya

Human interventions in natural systems have resulted in large changes in ve getation composition and distribution patterns. The Land Use Change and Cli mate Change (LUCC) study under the International Geosphere Biosphere Progra m (IGBP) is a major initiative in this regard. Changes in land use and henc e in vegetation cover, due to climatic change and human activity, affect su rface water and energy budgets directly through plant transpiration, surfac e albedo, emissivity and roughness. They also affect primary production and , therefore, the carbon cycle. Thus, there is a need for spatial and tempor al characterization of vegetation cover at different scales, from the globa l and continental scale to the local patch scale. Satellite remote sensing provides detailed information regarding the spatial distribution and extent of land use changes in the landscape. Meghalaya, in north-east India, is o ne of the most important, biologically rich landscapes. Degradational activ ities, namely shifting cultivation, clear felling of forests for timber, an d mining, have altered the natural landscape to a great extent. Because of these increased anthropogenic activities the natural landscape has been mod ified which has resulted in a fragmented landscape with poor species compos ition. These changes in the landscape were analysed using IRS 1A, 1B and La ndsat Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) data during the period 1980-1995. The ve getation type maps were prepared by a visual interpretation technique in or der to study the land cover dynamics pattern in Meghalaya.