Quantifying emerging patterns of greening and browning in the Himalayan region

Himalayan region is a critical part of the globe. In recent years,  vegetation cover in this region is undergoing considerable changes attributed ongoing to climatic and anthropogenic factors. The present study aims to capture the interannual vegetation changes over 19 years and explore how topographic and climatic variables contribute to the observed changes. Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) dataset (2001–2019) was used to examine the spatio-temporal patterns of vegetation in Uttarakhand state in the Indian western Himalayas. Further analysis explored variation across elevation, temperature, precipitation, and vegetation types. Most parts of the Uttarakhand region experienced increasing NDVI trends, particularly in the Needleleaved Evergreen and Broadleaved Deciduous forest types; however, negative trends were observed in shrublands.