Data from: Critical analysis of forest degradation in the southern Eastern Ghats of India: comparison of satellite imagery and soil quality index

India has one of the largest assemblages of tropical biodiversity, with its unique floristic composition of endemic species. However, current forest cover assessment is performed via satellite-based forest surveys, which have many limitations. The present study, which was performed in the Eastern Ghats, analysed the satellite-based inventory provided by forest surveys and inferred from the results that this process no longer provides adequate information for quantifying forest degradation in an empirical manner. The study analysed 21 soil properties and generated a forest soil quality index of the Eastern Ghats, using principal component analysis. Using matrix modules and geospatial technology, we compared the forest degradation status calculated from satellite-based forest surveys with the degradation status calculated from the forest soil quality index. The Forest Survey of India classified about 1.8% of the Eastern Ghats’ total area as degraded forests and the remainder (98.2%) as open, dense, and very dense forests, whereas the soil quality index results found that about 42.4% of the total area is degraded, with the remainder (57.6%) being non-degraded. Our ground truth verification analyses indicate that the forest soil quality index along with the forest cover density data from the Forest Survey of India are ideal tools for evaluating forest degradation.印度是全球热带生物多样性最为富集的区域之一，其特有物种的植物区系组成独具特色。然而，当前的森林覆盖评估均依赖基于卫星的森林调查，该方法存在诸多局限。本研究以东部高止山脉（Eastern Ghats）为研究区域，对森林调查机构提供的卫星清查数据展开分析，结果发现该方法已无法为以实证方式量化森林退化状况提供足够支撑。本研究分析了21项土壤属性，并借助主成分分析（principal component analysis）构建了东部高止山脉的森林土壤质量指数。本研究借助矩阵模型与地理空间技术，将基于卫星森林调查得出的森林退化状况与森林土壤质量指数计算得到的退化状况进行了对比。印度森林调查局（Forest Survey of India）将东部高止山脉约1.8%的总面积划定为退化森林，剩余98.2%划分为疏林、密林和极密林；而土壤质量指数的结果则显示，该区域约42.4%的总面积处于退化状态，剩余57.6%为非退化区域。本研究的地面实测验证分析结果表明，森林土壤质量指数结合印度森林调查局的森林覆盖密度数据，是评估森林退化状况的理想工具。