Long-Term Monitoring of Land-Use/Land-Cover Change in Morena District, Madhya Pradesh, India, Using EO Satellite Data

Knowledge on land-use/land-cover (LULC) patterns plays an important role in the development plan of any area. In addition, the information on change in LULC is important in studying the type and magnitude of land conversion and the associated land and environmental degradation taking place in a given area. In the present study, we map and monitor the LULC change that has taken place in Morena district, Madhya Pradesh, India during the past 25 years (1994–2018). Multi-season satellite data have been analysed along with ancillary information to prepare LULC maps at 1 : 50,000 scale for 1994 and 2018. These maps reveal that the area under built-up land has increased from 23.19 to 57.69 sq. km, mainly due to population growth. Double-cropped area has increased from 608.05 to 2050.08 sq. km due to reclamation of ravines. Ravine area in the district has decreased by about 22% during the above-mentioned period, indicating that the land reclamation measures taken by the people and the concerned government department have been effective in combating land degradation. The area under dense forest has decreased from 235.47 to 143.47 sq. km due to deforestation and forest degradation.