A Geospatial Approach to Analyze the Impact of Population Growth on Bundelkhand Landscape, Central India

Abstract

Population growth drives the process of urbanization and associated landscape changes. The conversion of natural landscape to anthropogenic landscape represents the most visible and pervasive form of human impact on the environment. The impact of population growth on Bundelkhand Landscape, Central India was analyzed using Landsat series satellite and MODIS Terra products. Population growth (total, urban and rural), landscape changes and variability in land surface temperature were analyzed for the last decades. The population has been increased manifold since 1901 and urbanization has also increased with the rate of 1.4km²a^-1 during last 24 years. This increase was rapid in current years (2000-2013) as compared to previous years (1989 - 2000). Due to rapid population growth, forest cover has been reduced by ~54% while agricultural land has been increased by ~76%. The mean land surface temperature has also increased by ~0.5 ^oC during last 14 years (2001-2014). It is observed that the population growth was proportional to the growth of agriculture land (r = 0.91, p < 0.05, n = 4) and the built up area (r = 0.94, p < 0.05, n = 4) while inversely proportional to the forest resources (r = -0.99, p < 0.001, n = 4). The study indicates the phenomena “human environment interaction” where rapid population growth has lead LULC changes. This study also reveals that population growth is imposing an increasing burden on the limited and continually degrading natural resources thus altering the local environment.