Landuse dynamics and landscape change pattern in the low-lying sub-watersheds of River Mandovi in Goa

The present study assesses the spatial and temporal changes in landuse/land cover concerning the sub-watersheds (SWs) in the Mandovi river basin’s coastal regions in Goa. The sub-watersheds have recently witnessed tremendous cultural dynamism, especially in landuse/land cover (LULC), perhaps due to their location in the state’s tourism hotspots. The primary objective is to detect and document the changes in major landuse in the low-lying sub-watersheds of river Mandovi and analyze and present the broad patterns of changes in the landscape of the basin. The study period is spread over three decades, from 1993 to 2023. Landsat 8 datasets were acquired and processed in ArcInfo and the QGIS and SAGA GIS software to fulfill the basic objective. The statistics of LULC were generated for the study period to compare and understand the changes in landuse/land cover and interpreted accordingly. From the image analysis, it is found that there is considerable change in LULC aspects. Based on the landuse/land cover analysis results and their ranks, the sub-watersheds have been classified into three categories: high, medium and low in terms of priority for conservation and management of natural resources. The prioritization results based on landuse/land cover analysis reveal that only SW28 falls under very high priority, whereas SW27 and SW29 are medium priority and SW25 and SW26 have very low prioritization. Other major driving factors could be population changes (local and tourist), expansion of the built-up regions, real estate lobbying and infrastructural development projects. The increase in the migration of locals from rural to urban and from neighbouring states is yet another factor.