Handbook of Himalayan Ecosystems and Sustainability, Volume 1

Volume 1:  Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of Forests and Climate is aimed to describe the recent progress and developments of geospatial technologies (remote sensing and GIS) for assessing, monitoring and managing fragile Himalayan ecosystems and their sustainability under climate change. It is a collective research contribution from renowned researchers and academicians working in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) mountain range. The Himalayas ecosystems have been facing substantial transformation due to severe environmental conditions, land transformation, forest degradation and fragmentation. The authors utilized satellite datasets and algorithms to discuss the intricacy of land use/land cover change, forest and agricultural ecosystems, canopy height estimation, above-ground biomass, wildfires, carbon sequestration, and landscape restoration. Furthermore, the potential impacts of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity and future food and nutritional security are also addressed including the impact on the livelihood of people of the Himalayas. This comprehensive Handbook explains the advanced geospatial technologies for mapping and management of natural resources of the Himalayas.

- Introduction to Himalaya

Section 1 - Geospatial Perspective for Monitoring Himalayan Ecosystem
- Monitoring Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics Across the Himalayas from 1985 to 2019
- Assessment of the Effects of LULC Changes on Surface Temperature
- Shifting Cultivation Dynamics of Northeastern India
- Monitoring Tea Plantations Dynamics (2000-2020) Using Satellite Data in Dooars Regions of Himalaya
- Disentangle the Short and Long -Term Forest Degradation Over Most Fire Affected Parts of Western Himalaya, India
- Potential of Spaceborne Bistatic Polarimetric Interferometric SAR Modelling for Vegetation Height Estimation

Section 2 - Monitoring Vegetation Productivity and Climate Change
- Estimating Aboveground Biomass of Sal and Teak Forests Using Terrasar-X and Semi-Empirical Model in Part of Terai Himalaya
- Spatial Distribution of GPP Over Croplands Using Planetscope Imagery in Majuli Islands, Assam
- Vegetation Trend Analysis and Seasonal Change Estimation Based on Time-Series Satellite Data for Northeast India
- Century-Scale Variations in Vegetation Greenness and Productivity in Central Himalaya
- Climatic Control of High-Latitude Vegetation Monotonic Greening and Browning Trends Across the Himalayas and Anthropogenic Effect
- Climate Forcing on Photosynthetic Variability Across Relief Zones in the Himalayas

Section 3 - Forest Fire and Landscape Restoration
- Appraisal of Forest Fire Risk Through Geospatial Techniques in Uttarakhand Himalayan Region
- Changing Pattern of Forest Fire Regime in Relation to Climatic Oscillation Over Western and Eastern Himalaya, India
- Forest Fuel Bed Mapping in Sikkim Himalaya
- Floristic Shifting of Endemic Species in Eastern Himalayas due to Climate Change
- Landscape Restoration in Indian Himalayan Region