Remote Sensing of Land Cover and Land Use Changes in South and Southeast Asia : Impacts on the Environment

South and Southeast Asian countries are experiencing rapid land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) driven by urbanization, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and infrastructure development. These transformations have significant impacts on biodiversity, water resources, food security, and climate regulation. There is an urgent need to quantify LCLUC impacts to design effective management strategies that help understand, mitigate, and adapt to these changes. Remote sensing data plays a crucial role in providing diverse information essential for assessing land use patterns, quantifying changes, and evaluating both environmental and societal impacts.

Volume 2 explores the complex and dynamic interactions between land use and the environment in the region. It brings together expertise from U.S. contributors of the NASA-funded Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI) and collaborators from South and Southeast Asian countries.

Key Features:

• Presents case studies on LCLUC impacts related to food security, heat stress, urbanization, agricultural intensification, water scarcity, forest transitions, and ecosystem health.
• Demonstrates the use of novel machine learning and deep learning algorithms for quantifying LCLUC impacts.
• Explores how satellite remote sensing can reveal hidden patterns, track environmental degradation, and support resource management.
• Highlights the integration of very high-resolution data with mid-resolution satellite data for effective LCLUC impact mapping and monitoring.
• Adopts a multidisciplinary approach, emphasizing the integration of biophysical and socio-economic data to address LCLUC impacts.

This book highlights the transformative power of remote sensing and geospatial technologies while calling researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to action. It offers valuable insights for scientists, geographers, ecologists, remote sensing specialists, and anyone interested in the intersection of land use, development, and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Krishna Prasad Vadrevu is a remote sensing scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. His research focuses on land cover and land use change (LCLUC), fire dynamics, and biomass burning emissions. With 25 years of experience in satellite remote sensing, he has an extensive publication record. He is the Deputy Program Manager for NASA's LCLUC Program and leads the South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative.

Dr. Christopher Justice is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, with 45 years of experience in remote sensing research. He is a Project Scientist for the NASA LCLUC Program, the Land Discipline Lead for NASA MODIS, and a Suomi-NPP VIIRS Science Team member. Additionally, he is the Co-Chair of the GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM), Chief Scientist for NASA HARVEST, and Chair of the international Global Observations of Forest and Land Use Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) program.

Dr. Garik Gutman is Program Manager for the NASA Land-Cover/Land-Use Change (LCLUC) Program. After 14 years of research on deriving land surface variables from satellite data at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he joined NASA Headquarters in 1999 and has been leading the LCLUC program, as well as Landsat-related activities, at NASA for over 25 years. He is the author of over 90 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and of several chapters in various climate- and land-cover related scientific volumes.