Detecting land-cover change using mappable vegetation related indices: A case study from Sinharaja Man and the Biosphere Reserve

A study analyzing land-cover changes in Sinharaja Man and the Biosphere Reserve revealed significant vegetation dynamics between 1993 and 2005, with a notable increase of 962 hectares of prime vegetation in the western region from 2001 to 2005. However, the reserve's fringe was found to be vulnerable to forest fires, with burned areas decreasing from 160 hectares (1993-2001) to 79 hectares (2001-2005), and a minimal 10-hectare burn over the entire period. The research utilized mappable vegetation indices—Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Burn Index (BI)—derived from Landsat 7 ETM+ images, processed with ENVI® software to detect changes across three time steps. While NDVI indicated substantial vegetation growth, BI highlighted fire susceptibility in peripheral areas. The findings underscore the need for ground truthing data to support sustainable forest management strategies.

Madurapperuma, B., & Kuruppuarachchi, K. (2014). Detecting land-cover change using mappable vegetation related indices: A case study from Sinharaja Man and the Biosphere Reserve. Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environment, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.31357/jtfe.v4i1.1817