Assessment of Vegetative Cover Dynamics During Pre and Post Covid-19 Period Using Sentinel-2A Imageries in the Western Ghats, South India

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has changed the living environment in various aspects just like any other disaster. The goal of this study was to use time series remote sensing data to analyze vegetative cover change in the Western ghats of south India from January 2018 to June 2021 (pre & post covid scenario). In this context, biodiversity in terms of Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been investigated in relation to variations in anthropogenic activity levels before and after the Covid-19 period. A spatio-temporal analysis of NDVI, LULC change, rainfall and AOD in relation to lockdown due to Covid-19 was conducted in this study. The study demonstrates the adaptability of remote sensing techniques and GIS for monitoring the changes in biodiversity in a more precise and cost-effective way, which is ideal for conservation planning and prioritization. Also, this study investigates the relationship between rainfall, AOD and NDVI during the study period. The results show that some parts of the Western Ghats which lies in Chamrajnagar of Karnataka, Erode and Dharmapuri of Tamil Nadu experienced significant vegetative cover change during the study period. It is also been inferred that there are changes in vegetative cover along the transect points situated in Shimoga of Karnataka, Palakkad and Idukki of Kerala due to the outbreak of forest fires. The restriction during the Covid-19 lock down has minimized the disturbance in the Ghats region which echoed in the increase in vegetative cover as well as areal extent of water bodies during post corona period (2021). The effect of increase in rainfall has reflected in the reduction in concentration of aerosol due to wet scavenging effect.