DOI:
AUTHOR(S)
Ummul Khayer Salma Keya, Jakia Jannat Fabiha, Nahida Rahman
ABSTRACT
Sal Forest is the third largest forest habitat and is a tropical moist deciduous forest in Bangladesh. Illegal human activities are putting a lot of stress on the forest, making it an endangered ecological resource. This study examined the selected areas of the Sal Forest in Bangladesh, specifically the Madhupur Garh and Bhawal Garh tracts, to assess the effects of changes in forest cover on carbon storage capacity from 1995 to 2025 and to predict future alterations. The research employed spatiotemporal analysis utilizing GIS and Remote Sensing tools, alongside with the InVEST Carbon Model and the Cellular Automata–Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN) method, to model the dynamics of forest cover and their influence on carbon sequestration. The results show that the Sal Forest cover will drop from 74.26% in 1995 to 49.85% by 2035. This will greatly reduce the forest’s ability to store carbon. Sal Forest will lose about 908 square kilometers (24.41%) of its area from 1995 to 2035, over 40 years. Most of this area will be converted into other features, especially built-up areas in the near future. These findings offer significant insights to inform effective management and conservation strategies for the preservation of the Sal Forest ecosystem.
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