Spatio-temporal analysis and mapping of land use and land cover in Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala, India using GIS techniques

This study evaluates the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) in Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala from 1985 to 2011 using satellite remote sensing and GIS techniques. Multi-temporal satellite data from Landsat-4 MSS (1985), Landsat-7 ETM+ (1995), Resourcesat-1 LISS-III (2005), Resourcesat-2 LISS-III (2011) were acquired from the Bhuvan NRSC portal. Visual interpretation, supported by GIS-based digitization, delineated 13 LULC categories namely: Deciduous Forest, Cropland, Built-up land, Mixed Forest, Shrubland, Barren land, Fallow land, Wasteland, Water bodies Plantations, Mangrove Forest, Grassland and Evergreen Forest. Deciduous forest decreased from 217 km² to 119.70 km² (–97.30 km²), mixed forest from 24 km² to 15.27 km² (–8.73 km²), shrubland from 529 km² to 465.89 km² (–63.11 km²), barren land from 29 km² to 12.95 km² (–16.05 km²), and wasteland from 9 km² to 1.35 km² (–7.65 km²). Plantations, the dominant land cover, declined substantially from 3476 km² to 3148.23 km² (–327.77 km²). In contrast, built-up land increased sharply from 142 km² to 417.07 km² (+ 275.07 km²). Cropland increased from 71 km² to 116.06 km² (+ 45.06 km²), fallow land from 14 km² to 36.42 km² (+ 22.42 km²), grassland from 1 km² to 13.06 km² (+ 12.06 km²), and evergreen forest from 302 km² to 361.95 km² (+ 59.95 km²). Water bodies increased slightly from 129 km² to 131.39 km² (+ 2.39 km²), while mangrove forest remained unchanged at 3 km² (1995–2011). Classification accuracy assessment showed strong reliability, with overall accuracies of 70%, 91.23%, 98.16%, and 91.92% and Kappa coefficients of 0.67, 0.90, 0.89, and 0.91 for 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2011, respectively. The results highlight intense anthropogenic pressure, rapid urban expansion, and substantial shifts in agricultural and forest land systems. The study demonstrates the utility of geospatial techniques in long-term LULC monitoring and provides essential input for sustainable land-use planning and coastal environmental management.