Detecting the Dynamics: Geospatial Monitoring of the Newly Assigned Ramsar Site, “The Wadhwana Wetland” in Central Gujarat, India

Wetland ecosystems are one of the most important areas that provide various ecosystem services as well as habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial life forms. In spite of multiple functions, like biodiversity conservation, water quality improvement, erosion control and climate regulation through CO₂ sequestration, wetland ecosystems are under threat. This study attempts to analyse the wetland dynamics of the Wadhwana Ramsar site using geospatial techniques. The land use land cover (LULC) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were investigated through LANDSAT 5 ETM+ of 1990, 2000, 2010, and LANDSAT 8OLI/TIRS of 2020. The LULC for the study area extent is prepared using the Sentinel-2A 2023 dataset. The LULC is classified using a supervised classification method with a maximum likelihood algorithm. The red and infrared bands of Landsat imagery from three different time periods were used to calculate NDVI. Results show that the wetland ecosystem in the study area decreased by 3.07 km² (~45%) with the average rate of ~0.615 km²/year. In contrast, agricultural land decreased by 5.56 km², at an average rate of ~0.428 km²/year between 1990 and 2020. About 0.83km² of wetland is converted to cultivated land, whereas 1.78 and 3.78km2 of Water bodies and Barren lands are converted into cultivated land, indicating the biotic pressure on the wetland. To minimise the rapid loss of wetlands and water bodies in the study area, proper land use planning and environmental education should be promoted.