Assessing the effects of land use and land cover (LULC) on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is critical for public understanding and policymaking. This study evaluated the impacts of LULC dynamics on ESVs in Chandigarh city of India. The assessment of LULC changes was performed by analyzing the satellite imagery of the study area for the years 1990 and 2020 with different band combinations in ArcGIS (10.8 version software). In addition, we analyzed ecosystem services changes which were based on the LULC classes of the study area. Five LULC classes were identified in the present study area (Water bodies, forest and vegetation, built-up, agriculture and shrubland and open spaces). The results demonstrated (from 1990 to 2020) that the forest cover and agricultural areas decreased by 4.19% and 37.01%, respectively, whereas the built-up area substantially increased by 104.61%. Overall, ESV decreased by 2.54% from 1990 to 2020 due to rapid urbanization. The combination of LULC and ecosystem services valuation can increase our understanding of different issues of an urban ecosystem. Hence, we recommend the integration of LULC and ecosystem services valuation as a tool that could provide information to policymakers, urban planners and land managers for sustainable use in future.

Habitat loss due to human activities and climate change is synergistically posing serious threats to the global biodiversity leading to irreversible extinction of several species. In wake of recent extinction, several forests are declared as protected areas where no more human activities are allowed. However, the scope of these protected areas got broadened from mere conservation to poverty alleviation and sustainable development during the past decades. Though these protected areas seem to be supportive of the biodiversity conservation, several challenges and gaps have emerged that need to be addressed for effective conservation and sustainable management in these protected areas. Therefore, the present chapter aims to address the roles, challenges, and approaches for conservation, and sustainable management in protected areas of India. Based on the published literature, we have found that protected areas proved to be a successful strategy for the conservation of wild animals and plants. However, management of poaching, man-wildlife conflicts, funding, extensive resource use, and tourism is still a challenge for some national parks of the country. Although governmental policies have addressed some of these challenges, only limited success has been achieved so far. Therefore, further studies need to assess the efficiency of protected areas for biodiversity conservation and devise the mechanisms for effective sustainable management of these protected areas.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract