Abstract
This study investigated the drivers of degradation in Southeast Asian mangroves through multi-source remote sensing data products. The degradation drivers that affect approximately half of this area are unidentified; therefore, naturogenic and anthropogenic impacts on these mangroves were studied. Various global land cover (GLC) products were harmonized and examined to identify major anthropogenic changes affecting mangrove habitats. To investigate the naturogenic factors, the impact of the water balance was evaluated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and evapotranspiration and precipitation data. Vegetation indices’ response in deforested mangrove regions depends significantly on the type of drivers. A trend analysis and break point detection of percentage of tree cover (PTC), percentage of non-tree vegetation (PNTV), and percentage of non-vegetation (PNV) datasets can aid in measuring, estimating, and tracing the drivers of change. The assimilation of GLC products suggests that agriculture and fisheries are the predominant drivers of mangrove degradation. The relationship between water balance and degradation shows that naturogenic drivers have a wider impact than anthropogenic drivers, and degradation in particular regions is likely to be a result of the accumulation of various drivers. In large-scale studies, remote sensing data products could be integrated as a remarkably powerful instrument in assisting evidence-based policy making.
Highlights
Mangroves are woody plants located in the intertidal areas of tropical and subtropical regions
The product of MODIS Land Cover (Figure 6b) shows that Indonesia has the highest amount of mangrove deforestation owing to the fishery class that has spread across Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, averaging at 10–25 ha of deforested mangrove
By adopting a trend analysis and break point detection in three difference sites, Rakhine State, Samut Sakhon, and North Sulawesi, we confirmed that mangrove forests were converted for agriculture, infrastructure, and aquaculture in 2003, 2007, and 2009, respectively
Summary
Mangroves are woody plants located in the intertidal areas of tropical and subtropical regions. In terms of anthropogenic drivers, a significant proportion of mangrove loss is caused by the direct destruction of these forests for other land uses These include overexploitation by coastal communities; conversion to settlements, tourist resorts, and agricultural land for rice, coconut fields, salt bed, industrial activities, and brackish-water aquaculture [13]. Natural drivers such as climate change, accelerated sea-level rise, meteorological phenomena, a changing water balance, and other aspects of global change affect mangrove forests across the world [14]. Natural drivers constitute a substantial proportion of predicted future losses, primarily due to changes in meteorological phenomena [18,19], which can reduce precipitation levels and increase evapotranspiration [20], affecting the water balance that is vital for healthy mangrove forest growth
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