Analyzing the Changes in Landuse and Land Cover in Sandeshkhali-I and Sandeshkhali-II Blocks of the North 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India from 1991 to 2021 using Geospatial Techniques

This study investigates the land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Sandeshkhali I and Sandeshkhali II blocks, located in the North 24 Parganas district of the Indian Sundarbans, over 30years from 1991 to 2021. Using Landsat satellite imagery and geospatial analysis on Google Earth Engine (GEE)ArcGIS 10.8, the study examines significant transformations driven by both anthropogenic and natural factors. The Random Forest Classifier in GEE was employed to classify the study area into seven categories: mixed vegetation, river, aquaculture, brick kilns, cropland, mangroves, and built-up land. The findings reveal that cropland, which was the dominant land use in 1991 (51.03%), experienced a steady decline, dropping to 35.63% in 2021. This reduction was primarily attributed to the expansion of aquaculture, which peaked at 31.56% in 2011. Urbanization also emerged as a significant driver of change, with built-up areas more than doubling from 5.23% in 1991 to 10.25% in 2021, reflecting both population growth and infrastructure development. In recent years, the region has shown a positive shift, particularly with the recovery of mangrove cover and mixed vegetation, which had previously declined. By 2021, mangrove cover had increased to 2.25%, while mixed vegetation reached 10.00%, indicating the success of conservation efforts and natural regeneration processes.These findings highlight the complex interplay between economic development, urbanization, and ecological restoration in the Sundarbans