Monitoring Ecorestoration Success using Spatial and Temporal Change Detection Techniques in Nandini Limestone Mines of Chhattisgarh, India

Limestone mining plays a vital role in India’s industrial development, particularly in cement and construction sectors. However, large-scale extraction significantly alters land use/land cover (LULC) patterns and degrades ecological balance, especially in mineral-rich regions like Chhattisgarh. This study aims to monitor and evaluate the success of ecorestoration initiatives in the Nandini Limestone Mine, located in Dhamdha block of Durg district, using spatial and temporal remote sensing techniques over a 30-year period (1994–2024). Multi-date satellite imageries from LANDSAT 5 (TM) and LANDSAT 9 (OLI/TIRS) were analyzed using supervised classification and maximum likelihood algorithms in a GIS environment to map five key LULC classes: plantation, scrubland, mining area, wasteland, and water body. The results reveal a significant increase in plantation cover (+26.10%) and water bodies (+2.81%), indicating successful restoration and hydrological recovery. Conversely, scrubland declined sharply (-26.91%), suggesting vegetation transition toward more stable land use types. Mining areas showed a marginal reduction (-1.85%), while wasteland remained relatively unchanged. The study demonstrates that integrating satellite-based LULC analysis with ground truthing provides a powerful and scalable framework for assessing long-term restoration outcomes in degraded mining landscapes. The findings offer crucial insights for sustainable mine closure planning, policy formulation, ecological resilience building and restoration planning in extractive industry zones.