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Abstract
Drastic changes can be observed in LULC (land use and land cover) in the last few decades in the hilly region of Uttarakhand, due to the unexplored potential of its geographical area, resources and human technological prowess. The fate of the this great natural resource and an ecologically sensitive region is getting endangered due to extreme poverty and migration of people, which in turn is leading to unhindered exploitation of the resources without taking into consideration of the natural regeneration and ecological balance. The rapid pace of urbanization can be seen in the hilly towns which are posing a great threat to the ecological balance as the construction of housing, road, dams etc. is causing imbalance in the ecological sustainability of the region. Himalayan ecosystem is a kind of fragile environment which is more susceptible to these land use, land cover changes and its impacts on local climate. For the future prediction of Himalayan ecosystem and its sustainable utilization, it becomes a key importance to know its natural characteristics, its extent and location, predictability, sustainability and limitations of various LULC changes. Increased susceptibility to the LULC changes always provides a platform to the natural disasters and associate damages to the nation. The main feature of concerned are the river basins, snow cover and forest cover.