Landscape Transformation in Jharsuguda District, Odisha: A Review towards an Integrated Analytical Framework for Land Use and Land Cover Change Assessment

Abstract

Landscape transformation in India increasingly reflects the combined influence of industrialisation, mining expansion, urban growth, infrastructure development and changing land-use practices in ecologically sensitive regions. In Eastern India, and particularly in Odisha, these processes are associated with the conversion of forests, agricultural land, wetlands and open landscapes into industrial and built-up areas, with important ecological and socio-economic implications. This review synthesises existing knowledge on landscape transformation in Jharsuguda district, Odisha, and examines the need for an integrated analytical framework for land use and land cover change assessment. A PRISMA-informed review approach was used to identify, screen and synthesise academic literature, policy documents and institutional reports related to land use/land cover change, landscape ecology, geospatial analysis, mining-industrial development and landscape governance. Following the screening process, 107 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis. The review indicates that landscape transformation in Jharsuguda is shaped by the combined effects of coal mining, industrialisation, urbanisation and transport infrastructure expansion, rather than by isolated land-use processes. Existing studies consistently report declining vegetation cover, wetland modification, fragmentation and increasing environmental stress across mining-industrial landscapes. Although advances in remote sensing, geographic information systems and landscape ecological methods have strengthened the monitoring of spatial transformation, many studies remain confined to land-cover mapping or separate ecological assessments. Comparatively limited attention has been given to analyses that connect spatial patterns, ecological processes, governance arrangements and socio-economic change within a unified framework. The review therefore highlights the need for spatially explicit and socio-ecologically integrated district-scale approaches to support sustainable landscape management and regional environmental planning in rapidly transforming mining-industrial regions.