Assessment and Monitoring the Coastal Wetland Ecology Using RS and GIS with Reference to Bhitarkanika Mangroves of Orissa, India

Abstract

Mangrove forest is a vegetation community formed by a variety of salt-tolerant species growing in the inter-tidal areas and estuary mouths between land and sea. Mangrove forests are one of the most productive wetlands on the earth. It can provide critical habitat for a diverse marine and terrestrial flora and fauna. Yet, these unique coastal tropical forests are among the most threatened habitats in the world. Traditionally, local communities in mangrove ecosystems collected fuel wood, harvested fish and other natural resources (Bandarnayake, 1998; Dahdouh-guebas et al., 2000a). However, in recent decades many coastal areas have come under intense pressure from rapid urban and industrial development, compounded by a lack of governance or power among environmental institutions. Mangroves have been overexploited or converted to various other forms of land use, including agriculture, aquaculture, salt ponds, terrestrial forestry, urban and industrial development and for the construction of roads and embankments (Das et al., 1997). Mangroves can be affected by several different activities simultaneously, or over time as landuse patterns change (Dahdouh-Guebas, 2000b).