Forest Landscape Dynamics in West Bengal

Pravat Kumar Shit is an Assistant Professor in the Postgraduate Department of Geography at Raja Narendralal Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), West Bengal, India. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from Vidyasagar University and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Remote Sensing and GIS from Sambalpur University. His research interests include applied geomorphology, soil erosion, groundwater studies, forest resources, wetland ecosystems, environmental contaminants and pollution, and the mapping and modeling of natural resources. He has authored and edited 26 books (including 19 with Springer, 4 with Elsevier, one with CRC Press, and others), published more than 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, and contributed over 100 book chapters to reputed volumes. Four Ph.D. scholars have successfully completed their doctoral degrees under his supervision. He has also completed four research projects funded by WBDSTBT, UGC, ICSSR, and SERB-ANRF. He currently serves as the Editor of the GIScience and Geo-environmental Modelling (GGM) Book Series, Springer Nature. Md Hasanuzzaman is a Ph.D. scholar in the Postgraduate Department of Geography at Raja Narendralal Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), affiliated with Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India. He holds an M.Sc. in Geography from Aliah University and an M.Phil. from the University of Gour Banga. His research interests include applied geomorphology, soil erosion, forest resources, environmental contaminants and pollution, as well as the mapping and modeling of natural resources. He has published more than twenty research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

• Introduction.- Historical Transformation of Forest Cover: Colonial Era to Present Day.- Forest Fragmentation.- Forest Biomass and Carbon Stock.- Urban Expansion and Forest Footprint: Emerging Conflicts.- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Forest Landscapes.- Livelihood Dependencies and Forest Resource Utilization Patterns.- Joint Forest Management: Success Stories and Implementation Challenges.- Climate Change Impacts on Forest Landscapes and Community Adaptations.- Conclusion: Toward Integrated Forest Landscape Governance in West Bengal.