Abstract
Mangroves are tropical coastal ecosystems threatened mainly by land cover change due to commodities. The effect of urbanization has been overlooked due to the low percentage of area loss globally, but it can be a significant driver of mangrove loss locally. Moreover, highly fragmented mangrove areas dominated by small patches might be more sensitive to natural and anthropogenic stressors as in terrestrial forests, especially in highly modified systems such as cities. However, little is known about the interactive effects of these drivers on mangrove loss and degradation, namely urbanization and fragmentation. Our objective is to analyze the mangrove ecosystem’s response in terms of the greenness trend to urbanization and patch fragmentation in the semiarid Colombian Caribbean. Specifically, we aim to: (1) calculate the greenness trend from 2017 to 2023 during the dry season by analyzing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Sentinel-2 satellite images; (2) correlate the greenness trend in mangrove patches with fragmentation metrics at the patch level; (3) evaluate the patch greenness trend along an urban-to-rural gradient. Our analysis revealed that 89.5% of the area showed no significant trend, while 5.2% exhibited greenness trends and 5.3% showed browning trends, mainly concentrated along the Canal del Dique and the Sinú River delta. Patch shape and isolation did not seem to affect patch greenness trends. In-patch greenness trends variability followed a U-shaped pattern along the urban to rural gradient. These findings highlight the importance of spatial context on vegetation condition and suggest opportunities for remote monitoring of mangrove degradation.
Published Version
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