| Popis: |
Great Vedaranyam Swamp (GVS) including Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, a Ramsar site is one of the largest swamps and a very crucial wintering ground for migratory birds that visit India or passing through India for their wintering sites in southern parts of Asia following Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Both natural and human induced local land-use pattern changes have altered the habitats in Great Vedharanyam Swamp. The present study attempted to understand the temporal changes in the land use and land cover patterns of GVS during last three decades using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Totally, 16 major landcover classes derived within the area of GVS for five periods of time series satellite images stretched over period of 30 years from 1988, 1999, 2002, 2013 and 2017. The Change detection for major classes of landcover such as Mangroves, Mudflats, Lagoons, Vegetation, Saltpans, Prawn farms etc. was analysed and found overall 30% of the area has changed in the GVS over 30 years`. Two major lagoons namely Seruthalaikkadu and Muthupet lagoons have shrunken in its size over the period.. Over 8,276 ha of natural mudflat areas have changed, i.e. 56% of mudflats area existed in 1988 have been disturbed. The decline in mudflats may cause a huge impact on the waterbird population that winters in GVS. Restoring and maintaining the habitats of the GVS are crucial to reduce the decline in bird populations in GVS. |
