Forest Transitions in Dry Tropical Forests of Central India

DeFries, Ruth and Agarwala, Meghna and Baquie, Sandra and Choksi, Pooja and Jhala, Yadvendradev and Khanwilkar, Sarika and Mondal, Pinki and Nagendra, Harini and Urpelainen, Johannes (2025) Forest Transitions in Dry Tropical Forests of Central India. In: Remote Sensing of Land Cover and Land Use Changes in South and Southeast Asia. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 68-75. ISBN 9781003396260

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Abstract

Dry tropical forests are home to millions of people that depend on forest resources for energy, building material, and non-timber forest products. In central India, these forests provide resources to local communities while supplying critical habitat for tiger conservation. They also serve as a testbed for developing methods for monitoring forest degradation and assessing potential pathways for a transition to improved forest health. Our study, carried out under the South Asia Regional Initiative in NASA’s Land Use/Cover Change program, used very high-resolution satellite data and socio-economic surveys from 5000 households in 500 forest-fringe villages in central India. We developed a Bare Ground Index (BGI) from PlanetScope 3-meter resolution data as a proxy for the intensity of human pressure on forests. Analysis of the BGI in conjunction with survey data indicated only weak associations between the proportion of households with migrants and forest degradation around villages. However, improved living standards, specifically LPG as an alternative to fuelwood for cooking and non-forest-based housing materials from concrete instead of timber, were significantly associated with less forest degradation. We conclude that (1) an urbanization, land abandonment pathway for a forest transition is unlikely to occur, at least over the short term, in this landscape due to the seasonal, non-permanent nature of migration as a livelihood strategy for the lowest-income households, and (2) living standards that provide for basic needs, including alternatives to fuelwood and house construction materials not sourced from the forest, potentially promote both poverty alleviation and healthier forests. These realities suggest that policies and management aiming to reduce forest degradation in this landscape could be effective by promoting alternatives to forest-based livelihoods and providing basic needs for local communities.

Item Type:	Book Section
Authors:	DeFries, Ruth and Agarwala, Meghna and Baquie, Sandra and Choksi, Pooja and Jhala, Yadvendradev and Khanwilkar, Sarika and Mondal, Pinki and Nagendra, Harini and Urpelainen, Johannes
Editors:	Editors Email ORCID Gutman, Garik UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Justice, Christopher UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Natural Sciences > Earth sciences > Geology, hydrology, meteorology > Climatology and weather Natural Sciences > Plants (Botany)
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Climate Change and Sustainability
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/6760
Publisher URL:	https://www.taylorfrancis.com/

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