The present study investigates the status of forest degradation in the upper catchment of the river Tons
in the Uttarakhand state of India, including Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and the National Park by the same
name using remote sensing and the geographic information system (GIS). The study revealed that more
than 50% of the study area is covered with snow and the alpine grasslands while 8.1% area is under
agriculture. Degraded forest covers maximum area (53km 2 ), followed by moderately (30.4km 2 ) and
severelydegraded(26.8km 2 )forests.Thelowerandmiddleslopesshowedhigherdegradationthanupper
slopesduetomultipleusesforagriculture,horticulture,agroforestryandgrazingbythelocalpeople.Over
time, the degradation and deforestation, without adequate protection, have led to severe soil erosion,
biodiversity and the habitat depletion for a large number of rare and endemic species including loss of
livelihood to the local people.