The landscape of Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ) has observed many changes in the past few decades. Changes in land cover and land use patterns provide important indicators for analysis of socioeconomic and natural processes. Mapping of land cover in SNPBZ was carried out under the HKKH Partnership project to fi ll the gaps in basic databases of the area. Also the dynamics of land cover was studied using different satellite images from 1992 to 2006. LandSat TM, LandSat ETM+ and ASTER images were used for the analysis. A consistent legend was developed using the standard LCCS methodology. The land cover maps were generated using object based image analysis supplemented by ancillary information and field knowledge. Extensive fi eld works were carried out for ground truthing and validation. About 70 percent of the SNPBZ area is covered by snow and ice, glaciers, bare rocks and bare soil. The altitude and its infl uence on climatic conditions have dominated the distribution pattern of vegetation in SNPBZ. Therefore, the land cover classes and their changes have been analyzed with their distribution in different elevation zones. The analysis showed that forest is being converted into shrub at elevations between 3000 and 4000 m while shrub is decreasing in areas between 4000 and 5000 m. There is a major decrease in snow cover in the elevations above 5000 m. Understanding the land cover dynamics provide important insights into inter-linkages between different socio-ecological processes which will be useful to support planning and decision making.
