North east India is a global biodiversity hotspot but a quite understudied area. Forest loss has always been problematic in the area. Using Landsat satellite data from three periods (70s, 80s/90s and 2010s), forest loss is assessed in sample protected areas and other sites in the study area, processing is undertaken using image processing and standard GIS tools. The landscape metrics of selected sites are assessed using the widely used program FRAGSTATS. Drivers of forest loss are central in the discussion of the study.

Presents research on forest loss of a global biodiversity hotspot Describes how a standard tool like GIS can bring new insight into forestry and biodiversity research Focuses on North East India, a relatively little studied area Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
The Study Area.- Conceptualizing drivers of forest loss.- Data and Methods.- Land-use/land-cover change.- Landscape Metrics.- Drivers of Forest Loss.