Land use/land cover changes around Rameshwaram Island, east coast of India

Abstract

Land-use/land cover changes are studied using the Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS-1C, IRS-6) Linear Image Self-scan Sensor (LISS) III data of 1998 and 2010 Coastal land use categories such as sand, vegetation, coral reef and water have been identified using interpretation key Results of land-use/land cover assessment based on visual interpretation are presented The study indicates water body of 178 and 177 km², sand features of 32 and 32 km², vegetation of 28 and 35 km² and coral reef of 5 and 6 km² respectively Significant reduction in coral reef and increase in vegetation land reveal the interference on the natural environment.