Geospatial analysis of land-use and land-cover changes in the Sikkim Himalaya, and insights for sustainable future
Our study analysed LULC changes between 1998 and 2018 in the East and South districts of Sikkim using multispectral Landsat imagery (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS). We applied supervised classification with the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) and employed post-classification change detection techniques. The findings showed that built-up areas mainly expanded at the expense of agricultural land and vegetation, underscoring the unsustainable trajectory of the ongoing land use patterns.