Integrating remote sensing outputs into vulnerability assessments and climate mitigation policies for enhancing climate resilience and adaptability in Northeast India

Northeast India, located within the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, is experiencing rapid climate-induced changes that threaten ecosystem integrity, agricultural productivity, and regional livelihoods. This review synthesises remote sensing-based evidence on climate vulnerability and land-use/land-cover (LULC) dynamics, primarily drawing on studies published between 2000 and 2025, while incorporating historical observations from the mid-1980s onward. A total of 156 peer-reviewed studies using Landsat, Sentinel-1/2, and MODIS datasets were systematically evaluated to assess land surface temperature (LST) trends, vegetation stress, and LULC transitions associated with shifting cultivation, deforestation, and urbanisation. Results indicate significant regional warming (0.8–1.4°C during 2000–2024), with stronger warming at elevations above 3000 m. Forest-cover decline exhibited marked spatial heterogeneity, ranging from approximately 12% in relatively stable landscapes to more than 35% in highly disturbed regions of Mizoram and Nagaland, concurrent with shortening of jhum cycles from 15–20 to 3–5 years. Vegetation stress increased in degraded shifting-cultivation systems and urban corridors, as indicated by NDVI–LST relationships. Integration of Sentinel-1 SAR with optical imagery improved classification accuracy by 6–20% under persistent monsoon cloud cover. SEM studies from analogous mountain and tropical regions indicate strong linkages (β = 0.42–0.68) among LULC change, thermal stress, and ecosystem degradation, although these relationships remain untested in Northeast India. Agroforestry systems mitigate soil carbon losses relative to degraded fallows, but policy gaps continue to limit the implementation of climate-adaptation measures. Future research should prioritise advanced geospatial analytics, climate downscaling, and integration of traditional ecological knowledge to strengthen regional climate resilience.