Assessment of Urban Dynamics and Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in Guwahati Metropolitan Area

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_29How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Ecosystem Service Value (ESV); Random Forest (RF) Algorithm; Guwahati; India

Abstract

Rapid urbanization has globally altered land use and land cover (LULC) patterns, with significant impacts on ecologically sensitive zones. Perhaps, as a growing city, the Guwahati Metropolitan Area (GMA) represents the most pronounced LULC transformation in North-East India over the past few decades. Thus, this study analyzes the spatio-temporal dynamics of LULC from 1995 to 2025 using satellite data and the Random Forest algorithm in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Additionally, the paper aims to find the Ecosystem Service Value (ESV) of separate LULC classes using Constanza’s valuation system for biomes. The research identifies five LULC classes: built-up, vegetation, waterbody, fallow land, and sand. The finding shows a notable expansion in builtup areas, increased by 258.27% from 1995 to 2025, reflecting significant landscape modifications. Additionally, waterbody and sand increased by 99.80% and 137.59%. Conversely, vegetation and fallow land decreased by 25.82% and 37.35% respectively. Furthermore, the Ecosystem Service Value (ESV) for vegetation declined from 35.01 million US$ to 25.97 million US$, while the value for waterbodies rose from 8.25 million US$ to 16.48 million US$. It is noteworthy that Constanza’s valuation does not encompass builtup areas, fallow land, or sand. The total ecosystem service value diminished from 43.25 million US$ to 42.45 million US$. Therefore, the city has experienced a notable decline in its ecosystems, adversely affecting environmentally sensitive zones, elevating pollution levels, and ultimately impeding human well-being and sustainable development. Thus, this study emphasizes the critical importance of sustainable land management, policy development, and ecosystem conservation to mitigate the environmental impacts of urban sprawl and foster long-term ecological and socio-economic resilience within the region.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Jhumpa Barman
AU  - Amrita Dwivedi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/26
TI  - Assessment of Urban Dynamics and Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in Guwahati Metropolitan Area
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Infrastructure Development and Sustainability (ICIDS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 543
EP  - 561
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_29
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_29
ID  - Barman2026
ER  -