Land cover of Nepal 2010

Land cover and its change analysis across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is realized as an urgent need to support diverse issues of environmental conservation. This study presents the first and most complete national land cover database of Nepal prepared using public domain Landsat TM data of 2010 and replicable methodology. The study estimated that 41.9% of Nepal is covered by forests and 27.32% by agriculture. Comparative analysis with Landsat TM based global land cover product showed difference of the order of 30-60% among different land cover classes stressing the need for significant improvements for national level adoption. The online web based land cover validation tool is developed for continual improvement of land cover product. The potential use of the data set for national and regional level sustainable land use planning strategies and meeting several global commitments also highlighted.

对喜马拉雅喀喇昆仑（HKH）地区土地覆被及其变化的分析已成为支持环境保育多样问题的迫切需求。本研究展示了首个且最为完整的尼泊尔国家土地覆被数据库，该数据库采用2010年公共领域内的Landsat TM数据以及可复制的分析方法编制而成。研究估计，尼泊尔41.9%的面积被森林覆盖，27.32%被农业用地占据。与基于Landsat TM的全球土地覆被产品进行对比分析表明，不同土地覆被类型间存在30-60%的差异，强调了在国家层面实施重大改进的必要性。为持续提升土地覆被产品，开发了基于网络的在线土地覆被验证工具。数据集在国家和区域层面的可持续土地利用规划策略中的应用潜力以及满足多项全球承诺的重要性也得到了凸显。