The application of Landsat imageries and mangrove vegetation index for monitoring mangrove community in Segara Anakan Lagoon, Cilacap, Central Java

Abstract

The only place for estuarine-mangroves in Java Island, Segara Anakan Lagoon, experiences the vast decline of mangrove cover. Satellite remote sensing has a critical role in monitoring that change as it allows to record vast areas over time. However, most studies tend to utilize satellite data to investigate the change of mangrove areas into other land-use types rather than identify the mangrove community’s shifting. This study utilized the mangrove vegetation index (MVI) for monitoring the changes of mangrove communities at the life-form level using satellite data. The study used multi-temporal Landsat images as it has historical systematic archive data. The threshold value of the index for each class is defined by referring to the field data. The class referred to the life-form classification consisting of mangrove trees, Nypa, and understorey. The image analysis was conducted using Google Earth Engine (GEE), while R software was used for determining threshold values through statistical analysis. The result shows that the MVI can differentiate between some life forms of mangroves, with the overall accuracy reaching 78.79% and a kappa coefficient of 0.729. Further, the multi-temporal maps showed the decline of mangrove tree areas, which the understorey and Nypa community have replaced.