Analysing Land Use and Land Cover Change for Sustainable Coastal Management: A Case Study of Southern Coastal Gujarat, India

Coastal area supports local economics based on fisheries and agriculture, apart from offering diverse opportunities for recreation and tourism. For these activities to sustain in their natural environment, protection of coastal land is the need of hour. Understanding the land use pattern through change detection of coastal areas is critical for coastal resource management, coastal environmental protection and sustainable coastal development. The current research paper focuses on the coastline of southern Gujarat, which includes districts of Bahruch, Surat, Navsari and Valsad. The focus of the study is to comprehend the dynamics of land use pattern by analysing the land use and land cover changes from 1980 to 2020 using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Assessment of land use and land cover (LULC) by remote sensing are critical to improve understanding of social, economic and ecological processes that lead to land use change in the study area. We have used accuracy assessment method and change matrix detection method which have not been taken up by the previous studies for the study area. The study suggests that changes in the coastal landscape have occurred over the decades. Results have shown that there has been an overall increase in the plantation cover and built-up area of 12.9% and 10.79%, respectively. There is significant decrease in the agriculture area −22.41%. Spatial and temporal changes in LULC along the coasts have provided the first step for identifying changes in this large area. Appropriate coastal land use planning to attain a sustainable future is important in this coastal zone, and therefore, it provides a platform to upcoming researchers for achieving conservation actions.