Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India (1994–2024): Spatial Patterns and Cultural Contexts

Land-use and land-cover (LULC) change can alter both ecological conditions and the settings in which land-related cultural practices take place. This study describes LULC patterns in the mapped portion of Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India, during 1994–2024 and considers their relevance to Adi and Mishing cultural practices. Eight land-cover classes were mapped from Landsat 5 imagery (1994 and 2004), Landsat 8 imagery (2014), and Sentinel-2A imagery (2024), using unsupervised classification and geographic information system analyses. Descriptive cultural information was collected through household surveys, observation, interviews, and focus-group discussions in ten villages, encompassing 578 sampled households. The classified land-cover totals were approximately 3,624.09 km² for each mapped year, less than the officially reported district area. Between 1994 and 2024, dense vegetation declined by approximately 201.80 km², whereas sparse vegetation increased by 221.23 km², agriculture by 117.19 km², and built-up land by 8.21 km². Snow-cover area was 139.16 km² lower in the 2024 map, although differences in observation season and sensor characteristics limit temporal interpretation. Field descriptions identify hunting-related festivals, agrarian rituals, and plant use as cultural practices associated with forests, rivers, and agricultural land. The evidence describes co-occurring spatial and cultural concerns. However, based on observation and people’s perceptions, plant species are documented as less available or absent among Mishing community inhabitants in plain areas than among the Adi; the exact cause cannot be established, but this may be due to LULC change being more pronounced due to river erosion, agriculture, settlement, and built-up area expansion.