A new article published in Remote Sensing of Environment demonstrates, for the first time, how the integration of fine-resolution remote-sensing data with GIS-based soil erosion modelling can be used to evaluate the impact of land cover and land use change on sustainability of catchment.

Using a detailed land cover map generated from Quickbird imagery of Pokhare Khola catchment of Dhading district of Nepal, the study establishes basic relationships between land cover, dwelling density and topographic variability.

Through the use of soil erosion modelling, the study demonstrates the role that the terraced farming practices can play in reducing runoff and hence soil nutrient loss, thereby enabling restoration of vegetation in the previously deforested land terrains. Finally, by combining this information with regional land cover data, the article shows that the findings can be scaled up to draw conclusions about environmental degradation across the Nepal Himalayan region.

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D.J. Quincey, A. Luckman, R. Hessel, R. Davies, P.L. Sankhayan and M.K. Balla, Fine-resolution remote-sensing and modelling of Himalayan catchment sustainability, Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 107, Issue 3, 12 April 2007, Pages 430-439.