Vegetation dynamics in Mizoram Northeast India from 2005 to 2025 using landsat imagery and image specific NDVI thresholding

Vegetation monitoring is important for evaluating landscape change in ecologically sensitive mountain regions. This study assessed vegetation dynamics across Mizoram, India, an eastern Himalayan-extension landscape, between 2005 and 2025 using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor surface-reflectance imagery. Satellite images were processed in Google Earth Engine, and normalized difference vegetation index have been used to derive vegetation and non-vegetation areas using image-specific thresholds. Spatial overlay analysis was subsequently applied to identify vegetation persistence, gain, loss, and persistent non-vegetated land at the state and district levels.Vegetation remained the dominant mapped land-cover category in both years but declined from 20,558.8 km² (97.52%) in 2005 to 20,283.8 km² (96.20%) in 2025, representing a net reduction of 275.0 km². Gross vegetation loss is 602.0 km², exceeding gross vegetation gain of 326.9 km². Vegetation loss was spatially heterogeneous, with the largest net declines observed in Lawngtlai, Kolasib, Saiha, Aizawl, and Lunglei districts, whereas Mamit, Champhai, and Saitual recorded stable net gains. The findings provide baseline information on vegetation-extent dynamics at the state and district level in Mizoram and offer useful insights for future vegetation monitoring, forest conservation, sustainable landscape management, and land-use planning in the eastern Himalayan region.