Land use dynamics and landscape change pattern in a mountain watershed in Nepal

This study analyzed spatial and temporal changes in land use/land cover in a typical mountain watershed covering an area of 153 km2 in central Nepal by comparing classified satellite images from 1976, 1989 and 2000 coupled by GIS analyses and also investigated changes in the shape of land use patches over the period. The results show an increase in broadleaf forest, conifer forest and winter-cropped lowland agricultural area and decrease in area under shrublands, grasslands and upland agriculture in between 1976 and 2000, although shrublands increased during the second half (1989–2000) of the study period. The number of forest patches decreased substantially in between 1976 and 2000 suggesting merger of patches in the latter periods due to forest regeneration and/or plantation establishment on lands previously separating two or more forest patches. A shape complexity index (SCI) used to study patchiness of land use indicated improved forest habitat in the watershed but increased mean deviation between actual and optimal SCI of forest polygons indicated higher edge effects at the forest patch level during the latter periods. One of the significant changes within non-forestry land use was increased fragmentation of lowland agricultural areas due to expansion of settlements and infrastructural development in the lowlands. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.