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Wild life habitat assessment and forest mapping in Corbett National Park U.P. India using Landsat thematic mapper data

T. S. Kanchhwaha
Remote Sensing Applications Center, Uttar Pradesh
Sector G, Jankipuram, Kursi Road,
Lucknow 226007, India


Abstract
Protection and preservation of wild life is not possible without once preserving natural habitat the forest because of their co-existence therefore once a forest area is declared as national park all activities of forest management are ceased in order to minimize the biotic interferences corbet national park being one of the oldest national park does not have an up dated habitat map for proper management of wildlife assessments of its habitat is very important utility of remote sensing technique in wild life habitat assessment and forest mapping is now well establishment the technique could use effectively without disturbance to wild life its habitat.

In the present study temporal thematic mapped data of path row No 145 040 acquired on April 7 and December 3 1985 have been used for assessment of wild life habitat in Corbett national park Uttar Pradesh India. Multi date false color composite images have been visually interpreted.

By visual interpretation of temporal data it could be possible to delineate 9 categories of forest viz density shore. Forest medium density sal forest medium to density sal mixed miscellaneous forest adularia suzyguim density agricultural land and surface water features water bodies river streams etc were also delineated.

Area under each category has also been computed using an electronic digital plainmaterfield verification has shown a map accuracy of 92% over 25 random samples.

Introduction
Corbett National Park is the first endeavor of the country towards conservation of nature this park is one of the fifteen tiger reserves in India launched under project tiger the protection and preservation of wild life is former is always in the state of ecological balance with the later therefore once a forest area is declared as national park all activities related to management of forest are ceased in order to minimize the biotic interferences and to preserve the original form of the habitat but for proper management of wild life assessment of its natural habitat is very important even though Corbett national park is the oldest national park there is no up graded habitat map available under such circumstances remote sensing technique disturbance to the wild life or its habit accprdillay the work relating to the use of remote sensing technique in habitat assessment was initiated at the request of state forest department .

Utility of remotely sensed data in wild life habitat assessment and forest mapping is now well establishment. In the present study land sat thematic mapper data have been used to prepare habitat mapping of Corbett National park.

The Corbett National Park situated partly in Nanital and partly.... garhwal districts of Uttar Pradesh India. Lies between 78 longitude and 29,25 tpo 29.40 and spreads over an area 213 parameters. the study area occupies a part of land sat scene with path is same thematic mapper false color composite data acquired and supported by a limited field work carried the interpretation of satellite data area survey of India topographic maps on 1:25.000 and 1:50.000 scale were settlements on top thematic for transferring ,map. Area under each category was also computed using an electronic land sat TM data over 25 random spots sin in the study area carried 9 May indicated a accuracy level of 92%.

Study Area and Methodology
Study area was the Corbett national park, situated in Nainital India. Rest of the matter was illaligable

Result and Discusions
According to forest classification given by Champion and Seth the forest of the study are could be broadly categorized in to shorea bearing northern tropical moist deciduous forest northern tropical dry decisions forest dalberia Sassoon forest through interpretation of thematic map data it was possible to delineate 9 categories of forest types as shown in the habitat map.


Table. 1 Categories delineated using land sat TM data and area occupied by each category.
S.No Name of category Area in
Hectares
 Percentage of total
park area
1. High Density shore
Rubusta(Sal)forest		 6251.2 12.0
2. Medium Density
Shorea robusts
forest		 27.12.4 5.2
3. Medium to low
Density Shorea
robusta
mixed forest		 27949.5 53.6
4. Dry Deciduous
miscellaneous forest		 62.96.6 12.1
5. Anpgeissus latifolia
dominated
Miscellaneous forest		 2236.9 4.3
6. Dalbergia (Shisham)
forest		 857.7 1.3
7. Syzugium cumilini
forest		 3139.9 1.7
8. Grasses 679.4 1.3
9. Plantations 3139.9 2.0
10. Agricultural land 1038 2.03
11. Other 738.6 1.4
TOTAL PARK AREA 52134.9

High Density Shorea robusta sal forest.
The area immediately south o Dhikala and towards east along Dhikala on the upper siwalik formation. Best development of shorea of the study the forest consist of shorea robusts almost in part form living density of 70% and above associated important species are terminally varies from class 1to2 the other associated. Tomatoes liana coromandelica gauged panama sciurid cumin maltose the forest has very dense under growth of credendum viscous Murray koenigiri pogosdtemon etc. area occupied by this type of forest is 6251.2 has which is21% of the total park areas

Medium Density Shorea forest.
This type of the forest is distributed in northern and western parts of the study area it has a forest density varying between 50to70% the dominant species is s robust thje quality of relatively poor.

Medium of low-density shorea robust mixed forest.
Most part of the park occupied by this type of forest unlike the proceeding two forest types the robust is relatively in lower percentage and is confined mainly to the northern western and some times eastern and gentle southern slope it is how ever not found on the steep southern slopes. Important associated species are anogeissues latifoila at some places is also preseny pine is also found in patches density of the forest varies from 40 to 50% some time even loss on steep southern slopes this forest is distributed over 27949.5 ha area which is of the total study area.

Dry Deciduous Miscellaneous forest.
Forest in the centre and southern most part of the park mainly of dry deciduous type comprising of miscellaneous species s robust a may be seen,

Occasionally scattered on western or northern aspects. Bamboo in entirely absent southern slopes are highly denuded important plant species are canonesses latifolia terminally tomatoes lane coromandelica Sisyphus zylopyrus z. jujube agley marvel's caesarian tormentors hoarsens antidysenteruca Schleicher oleos acacias catechu buttes monospermous mallet's Philippe sis Greta bauhinia etc this type of form occupied an area of about 6296.6 ha which is 12% of the total park area.

Anogeissues latifilia dominated miscellaneous forest.
The forest is of dry deciduous type with domination of Anogeissus latifolia although a latofolia is found onto of the hills at many places the park it is confirmed in abundance over large stretches mainly to southern a latafialio dominated forest some times in ours patches mainly while a middle top of this hills adrybdeciduous miscellaneous in the occurs between lower part of the hills region composition is the same as that of sry deciduous miscellaneous forest with dominance of a latiofalioa this category of forest occupies of land which in 43 of the total park area.

Dalberia sissaoo ( Shisham )
Dalbergia sisaoo is distributed in abundance and in almost pure form along and on most of the same mounds along the Ramganga river. it has also been picked up on satellite data along rata plan and Malani sot and few other streams although D session is found along many streams is the park but these very narrow strips of such vegetation could not be delineated on satellite very little data because of its resolution limitation about 679.4 ha area is occupied by this type of vegetation which is 1.3% of the total sturdy area.

Syzygium Cumini(Jamun)
A large and good patch of Syzygium cumini could be seen immediately beyond the grassy area north of river ram ganga near Dhikala in additions to that s Cumini is found along many streams because of the limitations in resolutions of satellite data very narrow strips of S cumini could not be delineated area of S.cumini as delineated on satellite data is 8.57 has which is 1.7% of the study area.

Grasses:
All over the park grasses are found in plenty grasses growing under tree canopy can not be identified and delineated as separate class on satellite imagery how ever grasses growing in open without any tree cover locally known as chaura are delineated on tyhe map and are grouped under this categorythere are not many opeen grass lands in the park .An extensive patch of grass is seen around Dhikala on both side of river Ramganga and its reservoir large period because of rise is water level in the Ram ganga reservoir karka heteroopogn contort us chrysopogon montanus chrysopogn area occupied by open grasses in 31.39 ha which is 6% of the total park area

Plantations
In the southern most part of the park plantation pf mixed species is raised the area occupied by this category is 1038.4 ha which is 2. % of the study area.

Agricultural Land.
Agricultural a land appears to be in the form of small enhancement in the park land of and comprise a total area of about 234.5 ha restricted to the southern part of the park.

Others:
This category includes water bodies sand bundlers settlements etc.and occupies an area of about 738.6 ha which is 1.4% of the total park area.

Most of the categories mentioned above were identified and delineated using April 1985 TM data but differentiation between dry deciduous miscellaneous forest and anogeissus latifolia dominated miscellaneous forest was possible only by the use of December 1985 data this was possible probably because it has indicated change inspectoral response of vegetation in different season because of different phonological stages.

Conclusion
Utility of satellite remote sensing technique in wild life habitat assessment is further established it is possible to know about wild life habitat without causing any disturbance to wild life or it natural habitat the present study delineation of additional forest types.

Aknowledgement
Author is thankful to the director Remote Sensing Applications Centre U.P. for grating permission to publish this paper thanks are also due tpo Shri Ashok Singh field Director Project Tiger Corbett National Park and this staff for Providing necessary help during the field work.

Reference
  1. Champion H.G and S.K Seth 1968 A Revised survey of the forest types of India the manager of publications Delhi India 404,P

  2. Kachhwaha T.S 1983 Spectral signatures obtained from Landsat digital data for forest vegetation and land use mapping in India photo graphic engineer and remote sensing 49 685-689.

  3. Kachhwaha t.s. 1984 application of satellite Remote Sensing technique in delineation and quantifying grassland and forest cover of wild life management in Dudwa National Park U.P. India 1984 Kathmadhu Nepal PP R-10-1 TP R-10-7

  4. Kachhwaha T/. S 1985 Temporal monitoring of forest Land change detection and forest cover mapping through satellite Remote Sensing techniques proceedings of the sixth asian conferences on Remote Sensing november 1985 Hyderabad India PPM 276-281.

  5. Strachlwer QA.H.1981 Stratificatiojn of natural vegetation for forest and range land inventory using land sat digital imagery and collateral data international journal of Remote Sensing 2 (1) 15-1