Assessment of forest density using geospatial techniques of a tropical protected area

The management, development and conservation of a protected area require vast knowledge of forest resources, its distribution and utilization pattern by its flora and fauna. Application of remote sensing and GIS as a tool, has assumed immense significance in assessment of these information. These applications are now widely used in conservation and management of protected areas across the globe. Forest canopy density is one of the important parameters in the management of a forest. And advancement of geospatial technologies provides a method to evaluate forest cover in the inaccessible and remote areas. In this study, the forest canopy density of Gir National Park and Sanctuary a tropical forest area was evaluated using remote sensing and GIS. The satellite imagery was utilized to generate spatial data of forest density of this protected area. Approximately 63.5percent of forest area was found as covered with forest canopy density of less than 10–40%, while 35.89percent forest area was found with the density class of 40 to more than 70%. These techniques are very much cost effective; provide information at a satisfactory accuracy level which will be beneficial for the biodiversity management and planning specially the forestry sector.