Simulating spatial change of mangrove habitat under the impact of coastal land use: Coupling MaxEnt and Dyna-CLUE models.

The present study uses Landsat satellite images of 1990, 2000 and 2018 to identify the land-use changes. Multilayer perceptron-neural network based land change modelling (LCM) has been applied to model future land-use/land cover (LULC). The prediction model has been validated using simulated and classified LULC maps of 2018 which resulted into an overall accuracy of 88%. The results indicate 389.27% increase in built-up area as the prominent land-use change during 1990–2018 and an increase of 56.25% in built-up area is forecasted during the year 2018–2040. Land absorption coefficient and land consumption rate indices, used to characterize urban expansion, indicate continued compact built-up structure during 1990–2018 due to population increase. The observations derived from this study would be useful as it will help the regional planners with forecasted land-use beforehand in planning the built-up and abundantly available natural resources in the area according to the increasing future demands.

Spatial and decadal prediction of land use/land cover using multi-layer perceptron-neural network (MLP-NN) algorithm for a semi-arid region of Asir, Saudi Arabia

Forest and savanna ecosystems naturally exist as alternative stable states. The maximum capacity of these ecosystems to absorb perturbations without transitioning to the other alternative stable state is referred to as ‘resilience’. Previous studies have determined the resilience of terrestrial ecosystems to hydroclimatic changes predominantly based on space‐for‐time substitution. This substitution assumes that the contemporary spatial frequency distribution of ecosystems’ tree cover structure holds across time. However, this assumption is problematic since ecosystem adaptation over time is ignored. Here we empirically study tropical forests’ stability and hydroclimatic adaptation dynamics by examining remotely sensed tree cover change (ΔTC; aboveground ecosystem structural change) and root zone storage capacity (Sr; buffer capacity towards water‐stress) over the last two decades. We find that ecosystems at high (>75%) and low (<10%) tree cover adapt by instigating considerable subsoil investment, and therefore experience limited ΔTC—signifying stability. In contrast, unstable ecosystems at intermediate (30%–60%) tree cover are unable to exploit the same level of adaptation as stable ecosystems, thus showing considerable ΔTC. Ignoring this adaptive mechanism can underestimate the resilience of the forest ecosystems, which we find is largely underestimated in the case of the Congo rainforests. The results from this study emphasise the importance of the ecosystem's temporal dynamics and adaptation in inferring and assessing the risk of forest‐savannah transitions under rapid hydroclimatic change.

https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid%3Af1dd8107-850b-4bf4-a70b-fa124a6ddc33/datastream/OBJ/download

Hydroclimatic adaptation critical to the resilience of tropical forests

Multi-decadal Land Cover Change Analysis over Sundarbans Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh: A GIS and Remote Sensing Based Approach

Comparison of Weibull parameter estimation methods using LiDAR and mast wind data in an Indian offshore site: The Gulf of Khambhat

Understanding the dynamics of landscape of greater Sundarban area using multi-layer perceptron Markov chain and landscape statistics approach

Remote sensing-based biomass estimation of dry deciduous tropical forest using machine learning and ensemble analysis.

Urbanization affects concurrent human-animal movements as a result of altered resource availability and land use pattern, which leads to considerable ecological consequences. While some animals find themselves adrift, homeless with the uncertainty of resources resulting from the urban encroachment, few of them manage to survive by altering their natural behavioural patterns, and co-exist with humans. Folivorous colobines, such as grey langur, whose feeding repertoire largely consists of plant parts, tend to be more attuned to the urban high-calorie food sources to attain maximum fitness benefits within the concrete jungle having an insignificant green cover. However, such a mismatch between their generalized feeding behaviour and specialized gut physiology reminds us of the Liem’s paradox and demands considerable scientific attention which could tell us the story behind colobines’ successful co-existence within human settlements. Besides understanding their population dynamics, the effective management of these urbanized, free-ranging, non-human primate populations also depends on their altered feeding preferences, altogether which could lead us to the development of an ecologically sound urban ecosystem. Here, we have used a field-based experimental set up which allows langurs to choose between natural and urban food options, being independent of any inter-specific conflicts over resources due to food scarcity. The multinomial logit model reveals the choice-based decision making of these free-ranging grey langurs in an urban settlement of West Bengal, India, where they have not only learned to approach the human-provisioned urban food items but also shown a keen interest in it. While urbanization imposes tremendous survival challenges to these animals, it also opens up for various alternative options for human-animal co-existence which is reflected in this study, and could guide us for the establishment of a sustainable urban ecosystem in the future. HIGHLIGHTS The feeding repertoire of free-ranging grey langurs at Dakshineswar largely consists of urban food items in contrast to the langurs of Nangi, and Nalpur who mostly depend on natural food sources. High human-langur interactions together with the scarcity of natural plant-based food sources could be considered as an intriguing driving force behind langurs’ altered feeding habits in Dakhineswar. The field-based experimental set up allows free-ranging langurs to choose between natural and urban food options in an urban settlement like Dakhineswar. Urban food items outperformed natural food items as the most chosen one, indicating langurs’ altered feeding preferences which facilitate their successful co-existence within an urban ecosystem.

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Purnendu Sardar

Papers

Understanding the dynamics of landscape of greater Sundarban area using multi-layer perceptron Markov chain and landscape statistics approach

Remote sensing-based biomass estimation of dry deciduous tropical forest using machine learning and ensemble analysis.

Altered food habits? Understanding the feeding preference of free-ranging Grey langur (Semnopithecus entellus) within an urban settlement

Long-term ecological vulnerability assessment of indian sundarban region under present and future climatic conditions under CMIP6 model