Study area
The study area given in Figure 1 covers a 10 km wide and 170 km long gradient that extends from Hubli to Ankola which lies between long 74°15'45.64" E to 75°10'3.23" E and lat 14°41'35.19" N to 15°23'26.93" N and having elevation of 23 m (Ankola) to 637 m (Hubli) connects Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka state, India. The study gradient extent from the core of densely populated city Hubli (planer region) to Ankola, a narrow coastal strip bordering the Arabian sea and which is moderately populated coastal region passing through Sahyadri interior (the mountain range of Western Ghats; local name is “Arabail ghat”). The gradient analysis is considered to account the spatio temporal dynamics of the region from 1973 to 2010. The entire study area is composed of moist deciduous forest, evergreen forest, dry deciduous forest, secondary degraded forest and rich in biodiversity which forms an important corridor for the movement of elephants from Anshi-Dandeli wild life sanctuary. The Bedthi river basin (also called Gangavali), with the catchment area of 3,574 km2 originates in Dharwad district and meets Arabian Sea at Gangavali village near Ankola presented in this region. The average rainfall ranges from 720 mm (plane section) to 3593 mm (coast). The region is well connected through large motorways- NH 63 (Nation High way No-63). However, the study region has also secondary roads, some paved and a large amount of un-metal roads, used mostly for local traffic and transport of agricultural products to the city or to the coast. Agriculture and native forest are the dominant land use class in this region and also some reforestation and deforestation activities have altered the spatial configurations of forest fragments.
Fig 1. Study area – Hubli Ankola landscape gradient