Abstract
Archive records such as maps, journals, books, sketches, cadastre and notarial documents have been underutilised in describing past and present changes in ecological systems, such as mangrove forests. Historical records can be invaluable information sources for baseline establishment, to undertake long-term study on mangrove dynamics and enhance the historical land cover and land-use dynamics of a country. In this study, we explore these untapped information reservoirs, used complementarily with remote sensing techniques, to explain the dynamics of the mangrove systems in Peninsular Malaysia. The archives in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Singapore were explored and mined for related information on the mangrove systems in Peninsular Malaysia from past centuries. Most historical records found in this study were used to validate the mangrove presence in Peninsular Malaysia since 1853 while two records from 1944 and 1954 were used to quantify the mangrove cover extent. A significant finding of this study was the oldest record found in 1853 that attested to the presence of a mangrove system on the mainland Penang of Peninsular Malaysia which was not identified again as such in records post-1853. Remote sensing data, specifically Landsat images, were used to determine the mangrove extent in Peninsular Malaysia for the years 1988, 1992, 2002, 2012 and 2018. By complementing the historical records with remote sensing information, we were able to validate the mangrove presence in Peninsular Malaysia since 1853 and determine the gain/loss of mangrove systems over the last 74 years. Peninsular Malaysia has lost over 400 km2 of mangrove forests, equivalent to 31% of its original extent between 1944 and 2018. This is a significant loss for Peninsular Malaysia which has less than 1% mangrove cover of its total land area presently.
Highlights
Introduction distributed under the terms andMangroves, representing one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth [1,2], offer ecosystem services to humankind [3]
We explored the scientific gap on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the mangrove forests in Peninsular Malaysia from the 19th century with the use of historical records and recent remote sensing data
Our findings show that despite Peninsular Malaysia being a well-known and surveyed area as compared to other mangrove regions worldwide, there was a limited interest of colonial economies for mangroves besides direct exploitation for local industrial or other uses
Summary
Introduction distributed under the terms andMangroves, representing one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth [1,2], offer ecosystem services to humankind [3] (pp. 19–22). Mangroves, representing one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth [1,2], offer ecosystem services to humankind [3] Mangroves provide (a) resources such as food, timber and fuel [4,5,6,7]; (b) shoreline protection [8,9,10]; (c) refuge and habitat for marine and coastal species in several life stages [11,12,13]; and (d) recreation and tourism conditions of the Creative Commons. Notwithstanding the importance of mangroves, they continue to be threatened by natural and anthropogenic pressures. Dahdouh-Guebas et al in 2020 [20] illustrated that even with a better understanding of the importance of this ecosystem negative perceptions on mangroves or indifference persist, which could be detrimental to the willingness and support for management or conservation of these wetlands
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