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<p>Urban biodiversity has emerged as a major global concern due to rapid urban expansion. Accelerated urbanization in urban towns has caused loss of biodiversity, changes in land use land cover (LULC), and environmental imbalance. This study attempts to capture the ecological uniqueness of four Himalayan towns, i.e. Manali, Kullu, Mandi, and Bilaspur, through an integrated assessment of LULC and floristic diversity assessment. LULC classification was carried out using WorldView and GeoEye imagery (at 0.5&#xa0;m resolution) through image segmentation and random forest classification. It was accompanied by field surveys to assess the floristic diversity in selected towns. Accuracy assessment yielded values above 0.90 for overall accuracy and kappa coefficient, confirming reliability of the results. The results revealed that trees were the dominant land cover in Manali and Bilaspur, whereas grasses in Kullu and buildings prevailed in Mandi. Open lands and water bodies consistently accounted for the smallest proportions. The results highlight the transitional nature of Himalayan urban systems, where vegetation still occupies larger extents than built-up areas, unlike bigger cities. Vegetation surveys using line transects across seven urban habitats identified 731 plant species, with herbaceous species as the most prevalent life form. Chi-square tests illustrated a highly significant association between species presence and habitat type in all four towns (<i>p </i>&lt; 0.01), confirming that species distributions were strongly habitat-dependent. The cluster analysis test demonstrated strong associations between species composition and habitat heterogeneity, reflecting the combined influence of ecological and anthropogenic factors. Floristic diversity analysis indicated wide variations in alpha diversity (28–223 species), high gamma diversity (731 species), and beta diversity (<i>β</i> = 7.13) across habitats. These findings emphasize the need to conserve semi-natural habitats and maintain habitat heterogeneity to balance urban development with biodiversity conservation, thereby sustaining the ecological integrity of Himalayan towns.</p>

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Geospatial analysis of land use land cover patterns and floristic diversity across urban habitats in Central Himachal Pradesh, North Western Himalaya, India

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月18日

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  • Smriti Thakur,
  • Sher Singh Samant,
  • Ashish Tewari,
  • Ranjeet Singh

摘要

Urban biodiversity has emerged as a major global concern due to rapid urban expansion. Accelerated urbanization in urban towns has caused loss of biodiversity, changes in land use land cover (LULC), and environmental imbalance. This study attempts to capture the ecological uniqueness of four Himalayan towns, i.e. Manali, Kullu, Mandi, and Bilaspur, through an integrated assessment of LULC and floristic diversity assessment. LULC classification was carried out using WorldView and GeoEye imagery (at 0.5 m resolution) through image segmentation and random forest classification. It was accompanied by field surveys to assess the floristic diversity in selected towns. Accuracy assessment yielded values above 0.90 for overall accuracy and kappa coefficient, confirming reliability of the results. The results revealed that trees were the dominant land cover in Manali and Bilaspur, whereas grasses in Kullu and buildings prevailed in Mandi. Open lands and water bodies consistently accounted for the smallest proportions. The results highlight the transitional nature of Himalayan urban systems, where vegetation still occupies larger extents than built-up areas, unlike bigger cities. Vegetation surveys using line transects across seven urban habitats identified 731 plant species, with herbaceous species as the most prevalent life form. Chi-square tests illustrated a highly significant association between species presence and habitat type in all four towns (p < 0.01), confirming that species distributions were strongly habitat-dependent. The cluster analysis test demonstrated strong associations between species composition and habitat heterogeneity, reflecting the combined influence of ecological and anthropogenic factors. Floristic diversity analysis indicated wide variations in alpha diversity (28–223 species), high gamma diversity (731 species), and beta diversity (β = 7.13) across habitats. These findings emphasize the need to conserve semi-natural habitats and maintain habitat heterogeneity to balance urban development with biodiversity conservation, thereby sustaining the ecological integrity of Himalayan towns.