Published Paper Details:

Land an important factor of production is subject to various uses. Among the different uses agriculture is the most prominent one. The urbanization and industrialization process mostly affects the agricultural land. Land use change effects are generally categorized into environmental and socio-economic. The environmental effects received more attention than the socio-economic effects. Paddy fields play an important role in the environmental and ecological systems. They are typical wetland ecosystem. Paddy land and wetland resources are regarded as the most productive ecosystems in the world. They are known for their distinctive flora and fauna. Since the dawn of civilization man was very much associated with wetlands. Destruction and permanent conversion of this ecosystem will threaten the water security as they are the water reservoirs of the state. There should be a concerted effort to restore or re-create these wetlands and paddy lands inorder to compensate for those lost. The objective of this paper is to examine the implications of changing paddy land use in Kerala on its natural environment. One district from each geographical division is selected to get the representation of the whole Kerala. This land use changing process threatens the sustainable development and its impact is unable to be measured. In Kerala land is getting fast transformed into commodity which focuses on its exchange value. Paddy fields feed millions of the people and it also plays a critical role in the sustenance of several species. The peculiar characteristics of the paddy fields help to grow many micro organisms and it also helps to grow many rich plants in the bunds of the paddy fields. The respondents reported several issues as a result of the destruction of the paddy fields.