Land-use and land cover changes along the coastal belt of Hambantota district, southern Sri Lanka, over the period 1996- 2017

Through the years, the green cover has been substantially reduced and transformed into human development projects and settlements in many cities of Sri Lanka. Hambantota, a southern coastal district, has faced similar changes over the last two decades. Therefore, this study was aimed at the Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) changes which had taken place along its coastal belt during the period, 1996–2017. Comparison was done among LULC maps bearing fourteen different classes for the years 1996 and 2017. The results reveal that all LULC classes except coconut plantations and paddy lands show significant area changes (p < 0.05) during the period considered. Among the LULC changes, forest cover showed the highest area change (2341 ha loss (p < 0.05)) while 358 ha of scrubland has been cleared to establish housing schemes. The settlements have significantly increased (1318 ha) and a considerable amount is due to development projects including the Hambantota port. The survey results show that 63.9% of the residents in the study area agreed that the natural environment of the city had been affected by the development projects. Analysis of LULC changes and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data suggests that Hambantota coastal area has developed significantly at the cost of forests and associated vegetation from 1996 to 2017. Rapid economic and population growths are identified as the main driving forces for the LULC changes. These results deliver an important decision-making reference for LULC planning and sustainable development in the Hambantota coastal region, which is, in broad sense, valid for any booming city in the country and the world. The urban forestry concept can be an ideal sustainable move to compensate the green cover loss.