Change Detection Using Mappable Vegetation Related Indices A Case Study from Sinharaja Forest Reserve

A significant increase of 962 hectares in vegetation prime was detected in the western Sinharaja Forest Reserve between 2001 and 2005, while a 15-hectare decrease occurred over the entire period from 1993 to 2005. The study also identified that the forest reserve's fringe areas were particularly vulnerable to forest fires, with burn areas of 160 hectares (1993-2001), 79 hectares (2001-2005), and 10 hectares (1993-2005). These findings were derived using multi-year Landsat 7 ETM+ images, analyzed through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Burn Index (BI) techniques. The research highlights the importance of ground truthing data for sustainable forest resource management in fire-influenced areas.

Madurapperuma, B., & Kuruppuarachchi, J. (2014). Change Detection Using Mappable Vegetation Related Indices A Case Study from Sinharaja Forest Reserve. Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 18(0). https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v18i0.1921