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<article article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">gesj</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="ppub">2071-9388</issn><issn pub-type="epub">2542-1565</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Russian Geographical Society</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.24057/2071-9388-2025-3904</article-id><article-id custom-type="elpub" pub-id-type="custom">gesj-4454</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="section-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>RESEARCH PAPER</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="section-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Статьи</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Four Decades of Tree Cover and Grassland Dynamics in the Foothills of the Western Himalayas – Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, India</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title></trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name-alternatives><name name-style="western" xml:lang="en"><surname>Kumar</surname><given-names>Roosen</given-names></name></name-alternatives><email xlink:type="simple">Roosenkumar16@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff-1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name-alternatives><name name-style="western" xml:lang="en"><surname>Pandey</surname><given-names>Bindhy Wasini</given-names></name></name-alternatives><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff-1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name-alternatives><name name-style="western" xml:lang="en"><surname>Rathore</surname><given-names>Jitender</given-names></name></name-alternatives><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff-2"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name-alternatives><name name-style="western" xml:lang="en"><surname>Sharma</surname><given-names>Chetna</given-names></name></name-alternatives><bio xml:lang="en"><p>New Delhi</p></bio><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff-3"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff xml:lang="en" id="aff-1"><institution>Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi</institution><country>India</country></aff><aff xml:lang="en" id="aff-2"><institution>School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech</institution><country>United States</country></aff><aff xml:lang="en" id="aff-3"><institution>CSRD, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University</institution><country>India</country></aff><pub-date pub-type="collection"><year>2025</year></pub-date><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>30</day><month>12</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>18</volume><issue>4</issue><fpage>19</fpage><lpage>35</lpage><permissions><copyright-statement>Copyright &amp;#x00A9; Kumar R., Pandey B., Rathore J., Sharma C., 2026</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Kumar R., Pandey B., Rathore J., Sharma C.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Kumar R., Pandey B., Rathore J., Sharma C.</copyright-holder><license xml:lang="ru" license-type="creative-commons-attribution" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" xlink:type="simple"><license-p>Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.</license-p></license><license xml:lang="en" license-type="creative-commons-attribution" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" xlink:type="simple"><license-p>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.</license-p></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://ges.rgo.ru/jour/article/view/4454">https://ges.rgo.ru/jour/article/view/4454</self-uri><abstract><p>The study investigates the dynamics of land use and land cover changes and their impacts on tree cover and grasslands in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand over four decades (1983-2023). Using multi-temporal satellite data analysis, the research examines vegetation patterns across different elevation zones ranging from 683m to 7801m. The findings reveal significant variations in tree cover, with an initial increase from 224,027 hectares in 1983 to fluctuations leading to 323,554 hectares by 2023. Tree cover showed remarkable expansion at higher elevations, particularly in the 4149-5152m zone, increasing from 147 hectares to 44,189 hectares. This indicates significant upward migration. Grassland areas demonstrated considerable variability, expanding from 93,647 hectares in 1983 to 118,330 hectares in 2023. The study identifies a clear spatial pattern with consistently higher vegetation density in the southern region, while the northern portion exhibits notably lower coverage. This north-south vegetation gradient persists throughout the temporal sequence, suggesting underlying environmental and human influences. The research also highlights concerning trends in other land cover types, including an increase in barren land and a massive decrease in snow cover, indicating significant changes. These transformations have important implications for local ecosystems, biodiversity, and communities dependent on these landscapes. The findings contribute to understanding the complex interactions between climate change, land management practices, and vegetation dynamics in high-altitude regions, providing valuable insights for conservation strategies and sustainable resource management.</p></abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>Land use</kwd><kwd>Vegetation</kwd><kwd>Treeline</kwd><kwd>Livelihood</kwd><kwd>Grassland</kwd><kwd>Resource</kwd><kwd>Management</kwd><kwd>Conservation</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="cit1"><label>1</label><citation-alternatives><mixed-citation xml:lang="ru">Anderson, K., Fawcett, D., Cugulliere, A., Benford, S., Jones, D., &amp; Leng, R. (2020). Vegetation expansion in the subnival Hindu Kush Himalaya. Global Change Biology, 26(3), 1608-1625. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14919</mixed-citation><mixed-citation xml:lang="en">Anderson, K., Fawcett, D., Cugulliere, A., Benford, S., Jones, D., &amp; Leng, R. (2020). 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