Spatial Mapping of Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) DC in Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu, India

Research Article- DOI: 10.23953/cloud.ijarsg.479

Abstract

Invasive Alien Species are serious threat to the natural ecosystem of the world. Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) DC is one such species introduced in India as a solution for desertification and to meet the fuel wood demand, but it has spread to various habitats and competes with the native species. The present study focuses on the spatial mapping of P. juliflora using Resourcesat – 2 Linear Self Scanning LISS (IV) Imagery through supervised classification and recoding methods. The influence of water bodies and road network on the distribution of P. juliflora and the variation in NDVI values of P. juliflora from various distances from the water body was assessed using buffer analysis. The results showed that .94% (4404.37 ha) of total geographical area of the district is occupied by P. juliflora with Viralimalai taluk contributing highest area (1083.49 ha) among the various taluks. Of the 4404 ha area under P. juliflora in the district, 2386 ha falls within the 1 km distance from rivers and streams while 1705 ha area falls within the 1 km distance from road. The percentage of Prosopis patches falling in higher NDVI category showed a decreasing trend when the distance to the water body and streams increased.

Keywords Supervised Classification; Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23953/cloud.ijarsg.479