Data-Driven Mapping of Forest Cover Changes in Chhattisgarh, India (2000-2024) Using Google Earth Engine
Abhimanyu Kumar Gond(1), Aarif Jamal(1), Tarun Verma(1),

(1)Department of Mining Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi-221005, India
Corresponding Author: abhimanyukrgond.rs.min21[at]itbhu.ac.in
Corresponding Author ORCID ID: 0009-0004-3102-1485

Abstract

Forests are vital for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and livelihoods, yet deforestation remains a significant threat in biodiverse regions like Chhattisgarh, India, making robust monitoring essential for sustainable management. This study quantifies and maps forest cover dynamics in Chhattisgarh (135,154.63 square km) from 2000 to 2024 to support data-driven conservation strategies through precise, high-resolution forest change analysis. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE), a cloud-based geospatial analysis platform, the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset was processed through raster and vector conversions to calculate forest cover in 2000 (tree canopy cover greater than 30 percent), forest cover in 2024, total loss (2000-2024), total gain (2000-2012), and annual loss trends, with results visualized via spatiotemporal maps and time-series charts. Forest cover declined from 25,965.28 square km in 2000 to 25,417.67 square km in 2012, reflecting a net loss of 547.61 square km. By 2024, total forest loss reached 810.47 square km, with a modest gain of 4.78 square km in the southern region (2000-2012). Annual loss peaked at 90 square km in 2011, dropped to 18 square km in 2003 and 2020, and rose again to 60 square km between 2023 and 2024. Spatial analysis revealed denser forests in the southern and northern regions compared to central areas. These findings underscore significant deforestation pressures and provide critical insights for targeted conservation policies and afforestation initiatives, enabling the identification of deforestation hotspots and temporal trends to support sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation strategies.

Keywords: Forest cover, deforestation, sustainable management, Chhattisgarh, Google Earth Engine,

Topic: Topic B: Applications of Remote Sensing