The Study area extends from 13.206086° N latitude 74.793109° E longitude to 13.112899° N latitude to 74.799948° E longitude in Padubidri in the coastal district of Udupi, Karnataka. The region covers buffer of 5 km surrounding coal based thermal power plant. The study area consisted of vegetation of semi evergreen type with diverse species. The area possesses a high conservation value for many rare and endangered species associated to forests, which possesses an important value as a source for indirect and direct ecosystem services. Human-induced land use land cover changes with the implementation of thermal power plant are the key cause for changes in the landscape in response to industrialization with serious implications on landscape diversity and ecological processes and functions.

Fig 1: Study area

Fig 2. Illustrates the study area as seen in Google Earth, showing 5KM buffer area considered.

Fig 2: Study area with 5 km buffer overlaid on spatial data (Google Earth)