**Part 3**

**Evaluating Biodiversity** 

112 Research in Biodiversity – Models and Applications

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**7** 

*1Sri Lanka 2India 3Nepal* 

**Evaluating Biodiversity and Spatial** 

Giriraj A.1,2,3, Murthy M.S.R.2 and Basanta Shrestha3 *1International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo,* 

> *2National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, 3International Centre for Integrated Mountain*

> > *Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu,*

**Simulation of Land-Cover Change in the Tropical Region of Western Ghats, India** 

Excessive alterations of the global environment by human activities have led to various changes in global biochemical cycles, and transformation of land, and have increased the mobility of the biota. These anthropogenically-induced changes have triggered the sixth major extinction event in the history of life on earth, and have caused widespread changes in the global distribution of organisms (Sala et al., 2000; Midgley et al., 2002; Parmesan & Yohe, 2003; Root et al., 2003). With an increase in resource requirement, more and more natural areas (virgin forests/landscape) is being encroached upon by humans and their resources are exploited, thus leading to a loss of biological diversity. Much of the attempt is on the study and documentation of forest degradation in the tropics, and is not actually related to a quantitative spatial assessment of species loss and composition. It is therefore necessary to determine accurately the rate of such loss, and its spatial patterns to formulate sustainable strategies for conserving and monitoring relatively undisturbed landscapes. Conservation approaches primarily focus on targeting vegetation types, economic/ ecological species, habitats and landscape units. In any region, land conversion forces the declining population towards the edge of their species range, where they become increasingly vulnerable, and collapse if exposed to further human impact (Channell & Lomolino, 2000). Temporal and spatial mapping and modeling of potential species distribution (e.g. *Ephedra gerardiana*; *Porwal* et al., 2003, *Hippophae rhamnoides*; Roy et al., 2001) helps to quantify and understand the current status, and to assess species loss to specific habitats and landscape. Amarnath et al., 2003, have also shown that conjunctive analysis of patch characteristics and species distribution can be used in identifying the areas of priority in terms of eco-restoration and conservation in wet evergreen forests of India. Thus, a systematic planning is necessary to conserve large areas (Margules & Pressey, 2000), to ensure viability and long-term persistence of species in situ. In practice, the management of reserves is inadequately funded, unplanned and often threatened by illegal extraction of

**1. Introduction** 
