DESERT ECOSYSTEMS: MAPPING, MONITORING ASSESSMENT USING SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING

摘要

Desert ecosystems are unique but fragile ecosystems, mostly vulnerable to a variety of degradational processes like water erosion, vegetal degradation, salinity, wind erosion, water logging etc. Some researchers consider desertification to be a process of cha nge, while others view it as the end result of a process of change. There is an urgent need to arrest the process of desertification and combat land degradation. Under the auspices of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Space Applications Centre, Ah- medabad has undertaken the task of mapping, monitoring and assessment of desertification carrying out pilot project in hot and cold desert regions in drylands on 1:50,000 scale followed by systematic Desertification Status Mappaing (DSM) of India on 1:500,000 scale. 105.48 mha area is under land degradation / desertification in India. A few studies have been carried out for monitoring the multi-temporal changes in the desertification status of some selected areas.