Over-Exploitation of Forests

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 select sites are assessed using the widely used program Fragstats. The central discussion of the study involves the drivers of forest loss.