ASSESSING SPATIO-TEMPORAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE LANDSCAPE OF KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, ASSAM, INDIA (1914-2016)

The Kaziranga National Park has undergone tremendous landscape transformation over the years and faced with several issues, the most being natureinduced issues of flood, erosion, siltation caused by the river Brahmaputra. Besides, there are many man-induced issues like poaching, habitat degradation and encroachment in peripheral areas that makes park management challenging. During this study, an endeavour has been created to accentuate the historical evolution and administrative jurisdiction of the Park landscape and to assess the landscape transformation in the core area of the Park over the years. The changes within the core area were determined for the year 1914, 1967 and 2016 by using Geospatial technology. Spatial data for the first two sets are derived from topographical maps of Survey of India along with Google Earth images for 2016. The study reflects vital changes in the core area in terms of grassland, woodland, water bodies, wetlands and sandbar. Correct habitat management of the core area is crucial to conserve and protect the wildlife of the park.