DOI: 10.54207/bsmps1000-2026-u91293 ISSN: 0971-9431

Land use and land cover dynamics in the Jhelum valley, Kashmir Himalaya, during 2005-2025

Akhlaq Wani, Zaid Wani, Sahil Rashid, Talib Bhat, Aasif Gattoo, Shah Murtaza, Mohammad Islam
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The Himalayan region, characterized by ecological fragility and complex terrain, is experiencing substantial land use and land cover (LULC) changes driven by human activities. This study assessed LULC dynamics in the Jhelum Valley Forest Division (JVFD), Kashmir Himalaya, for 2005, 2015, and 2025 using remote sensing and GIS techniques. LULC maps were generated through on-screen visual digitization at a scale of 1:20,000 using Landsat imagery. Between 2005 and 2015, forest cover declined by 472.30 ha, agricultural land by 863.12 ha, and wasteland by 455.67 ha, while habitation expanded by 1,067.67 ha and horticulture increased by 370.86 ha. Over the 20-year period, habitation increased substantially by 6,425.15 ha, whereas forest cover, agricultural land, and wasteland decreased by 580.26, 900.89, and 1,136.56 ha, respectively. Horticulture initially increased from 7,337.33 ha in 2005 to 7,708.19 ha in 2015, but declined to 3,321.20 ha by 2025, representing a net loss of 4,016.13 ha. Grassland increased by 367.39 ha, while agroforestry declined by 110.57 ha. The overall classification accuracy was 92.48% for 2015 and 93.12% for 2025, with corresponding kappa coefficients of 0.80 and 0.83. These findings highlight substantial landscape transformation and emphasize the need for sustainable land-use planning, regulated settlement expansion, and conservation-oriented management to protect forest ecosystems and productive landscapes in the Kashmir Himalaya.

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