Global warming is the most significant environmental issue that causes the utmost concern for researchers and scientists. Furthermore, impacts recorded include the potential for drought and the reduction of soil ability to support biomass production, subsequently posing a significant threat to agriculture. Moreover, vegetation density is known to support microorganism activities actively, and its analysis requires remote sensing techniques, involving normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and soil adjustment vegetation index (SAVI), associated with microbial content in the soil. Besides, the level recorded is assumed to have a strong correlation with soil fertility, which is a prerequisite for the development of vegetation cover. Hence, most of the research was conducted in fertile lands situated in the Ungaran, Merbabu, and Telomoyo volcanic areas. The results show the absence of a positive correlation between soil fertility and the number of microorganism’s present, although the association with vegetation cover is relatively low.

Understanding the changing patterns and trend of vegetation is essential for its socio-environmental values. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a satellite based data obtained from Moderate Resolutions Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) were analysed. The data have a characteristic resolution of 250 × 250 m2 and a 16-day composite period. They were ordered separately for each sample plot from east, centre and west of Nepal, for 15 years period, 2000 to 2015. MODIS, Land Surface Temperature (LST) data were used to identify unreliable NDVI values and hence eliminated. Also, the unusually fluctuating NDVI values during the rainy season were removed. A cubic spline function (for seasonal patterns), linear regression model (for NDVI trend) and generalized estimating equations (GEE for comparison of the changing trends) were the models used. The results showed a patterned annual seasonal vegetation and significant trends during the 15 years. Seasonal growth showed a peak in rainy season and trough in the winter season, with slight temporal variation among the areas with a characteristic shift of seasonal greening (start of greening) and browning (end of greening) from east to west of Nepal. The NDVI trend was significantly rising in eastern and western suburban areas while the central urban city had a significant decline. The temporal shift of start and end of the season from east to west can be of value to agriculturalists.

This study aims to define the changing pattern of land use and its geo-environmental impacts on the semi-arid region of Anantapur district of AP state, India. Satellite imageries were analysed to perceive the variations in land use and land cover in the past 9 years from 2010 to 2019. RS and GIS modelling has helped in the mapping of land use and land cover changes. The study has assumed five characteristic features, they are (i) Waterbodies, (ii) Vegetation, (iii) Fallow land, (iv) Cultivation lands, and (v) Degraded lands. The results reveal that, from 2010 to 2019, there is a decrease in water bodies, vegetation and fallow lands of 6.75 km2, 42.96 km2 and 105.45 km2 respectively. While cultivation lands and degraded lands increased to 4.7 km2 and 105.45 km2 respectively. The environmental ecosystem is disturbed due to the increase in degraded lands, thus making the study area turn into a desert. Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) are very useful for the accuracy assessment of vegetation, cultivation land and waterbodies in this LULC change detection studies.