Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) status in Chhattisgarh, India (2001–2022) Using Trends.Earth

Abstract

The present study entitled “Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) status in Chhattisgarh, India (2001–2022) Using Trends.Earth” assesses land degradation change from 2001 to 2022 using the Trend. Earth plugin within QGIS, integrating satellite-based datasets such as MODIS (MOD13Q1), ESA-CCI, and ISRIC Soil Grids to evaluate changes in land use/land cover (LULC), land productivity, and soil organic carbon (SOC) in accordance with SDG indicator 15.3.1. The analysis reveals that the total geographical area (135,169 km²) experienced moderate land use transitions, marked by a notable increase in built-up areas (+434.5 km²; +2.1%) and minor declines in agricultural (–472 km²) and forest land (–261.7 km²), indicating expanding urbanization and conversion pressures. The land degradation assessment shows that 97.36% of land cover remained stable, 1.02% improved, and 1.62% degraded. SOC levels were largely stable (98.53%), with minimal improvement (0.69%) and degradation (0.66%). Land productivity trends demonstrated strong growth, with 77.57% of the area showing improvement and only 2.56% showing decline. The overall SDG 15.3.1 indicator indicates that 76.59% of the total area is improved, 18.52% remains stable, and only 4.14% is degraded. These results suggest that the region is largely stable and ecologically resilient, with positive vegetation and soil health trends; however, localized degradation and urban expansion highlight the need for sustainable land management strategies and policy interventions to maintain land degradation neutrality (LDN) and ensure long-term landscape sustainability.