Impact of Land Use Changes on Ecosystem Services and Habitat Integrity: A Case Study of Majuli River Island, India

Abstract

The assessment of ecosystem services is a popular subject in India and internationally, yet a consistent system of evaluation indicators and methods is still lacking. Utilizing a framework of evaluation criteria for ecosystem services, extensive data collected over the years from forest resource inventories and public sources were used to perform a comprehensive and dynamic assessment of the quantity and value of ecosystem services on Majuli Island. The ecosystem services of any environment vary depending on local people’s awareness. Majuli is the world’s biggest inhabited river island by area and the world’s ninth most populous river island. Furthermore, Majuli is vulnerable to climate change and global warming, which are diminishing the ecosystem services of India’s biggest populated river island. A broad study of the ecosystem services of a landscape is beneficial for framing policies and formal laws to ensure sustainable development for sustainable development of degrading ecosystems shortly and to secure the socioeconomic status of local people. There is an increase of 3061 km2 in human settlement from 2002 to 2012. Again, from 2012 to 2022 human settlements have increased to 3136.28 km2. Similarly, the area of agricultural land has increased by 15,917 km2 in 20 years, from 2002 to 2022. To compromise this increase in agricultural and human settlement areas, natural habitat has decreased by 22,683 km2 from 2002 to 2022. The most significant increase was observed in the ecosystem service value related to food production (agriculture). However, throughout the study periods, the values of the other 16 categories of ecosystem services declined to various extents. The results of this research are crucial for decisionmakers and land-use planners who require site-specific information on how land use and land cover (LULC) impact ecosystem services. This study indicates that the total and specific ecosystem service values have decreased during the periods examined, largely due to a considerable rise in agricultural and built-up areas, primarily at the detriment of natural habitats. Therefore, it is vital to reverse the trend of diminishing natural habitats to maintain and protect the ecosystem service values of Majuli Island.