Assessment of Land Use Changes on Vegetation Dynamics in Muthurajawela Wetland: A GIS Based Spatio-Temporal Study

Abstract

Urban wetland ecosystems deliver numerous ecological, social, and economic benefits but are profoundly affected by urbanization and other human-induced activities. So, this study aimed to investigate the influence of the buildup of surface temperature and green cover on the surface in the Muthurajawela wetland, an urban wetland in Sri Lanka that provides essential ecosystem services. This study was conducted based on a point-based analysis from 2014 to 2024. The vegetation loss and urbanized areas were higher temperature areas at the study site. Pearson correlation was used to assess the spatial relationships between surface temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI). Surface temperature negatively correlates with NDVI` (-0.161) and positively correlates with NDBI (0.100). Additionally, correlations among climatic variables showed a weak negative correlation between temperature and relative humidity (-0.261) and a weak positive correlation between temperature and precipitation (0.243). In contrast, relative humidity exhibited a strong positive correlation with precipitation 0.624). These findings highlight the importance of enhancing vegetation cover and implementing sustainable urban planning strategies to mitigate environmental stressors and protect the ecological integrity of the wetland. Developing dense, evenly distributed vegetation and sustainable urban planning and wetland conservation are proposed as key strategies to mitigate vegetation loss in the Muthurajawela wetland area.