We analyzed the multi-temporal and multi-seasonal NOAA AVHRR satellite data of 1985/86, and 1992/93 and SPOT VEGETATION data of 1999/2000 to (1) prepare historical land cover maps and (2) to identify areas undergoing major land cover transformations (called "hot spots") in the region. The identified "hot spot" areas were investigated using high-resolution satellite data such as Landsat and SPOT supplemented by intensive field survey. Shifting cultivation, intensification of agricultural activities and change of cropping patterns, and conversion of forest to agricultural land were found to be the principal reasons for land use land cover change in Oudomxay province of Lao P.D.R, Mekong Delta of Vietnam and Loei province of Thailand respectively. Moreover, land use/land cover dynamics of the region and a typical land use/land cover change patterns of the 'hot spot' areas were also examined. We also developed a field-based methodology for land use/land cover change analysis at the national level with the help of national remote sensing institutions. (author's abstract)
Giri, C., Shrestha, S., Levy, M. 2001. Assessment and monitoring of land use/land cover change in Southeast Asia. 2001 Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 6-8, 2001.