Introduction
The Western Ghats is one among 35 global biodiversity hotspots has been experiencing unprecedented land use changes due to unplanned developmental activities. This has resulted in the alteration of landscape structure affecting the ecosystem functions. The implications of land cover transitions are evident from barren hill tops, lowered water retention capability of the catchment resulting in the conversion of perennial streams to the seasonal ones and also changes in the climate. Low rainfall and subsequent declaration of drought in all districts of Kerala in 2016 is the indication of mismanagement of natural resources (land, forests, water, etc.). The current study focuses on land cover changes in the Western Ghats since 2001. Land use changes were assessed using temporal remote sensing data - MODIS EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index). Changes in the climate are assessed through computation of temporal land surface temperature (LST) through MODIS thermal data of 250m spatial resolution. The role of vegetation cover in maintaining LST has been evaluated.
The study reveals a loss of 2.49% of forest cover between 2001 and 2016 and plantations and agriculture/built up were increased by 1.62% and 1.12% respectively. The mean temperature of the region has increased from 30.9°C (in 2001) to 31.9°C (in 2016). The trends show an annual rise of 0.07°C in the study area. Multivariate analyses reveal that loss of forest cover is positively correlated with the LST. The current outcomes of the study highlight the need to evolve appropriate strategies to mitigate the changes in the climate through appropriate land resources management policies.