Remote Sensing of Mangrove Change Along the Tanzania Coast

This article contributes to the understanding of the changes in distribution and total area of mangrove forests along the mainland Tanzania coast over the past decade. Mangroves are recognized as critical coastal habitat requiring protection and special attention. The Tanzania coastline forms a suitable habitat for establishment of mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are distributed from Tanga in the north to Mtwara in the south covering approximately 109,593 hectares from 1988-1990 and about 108,138 hectares in 2000. The largest continuous mangrove stands are found in the districts of Rufiji, Kilwa, Tanga-Muheza, and Mtwara. Comparison of data between these two time periods shows that the geographic coverage of mangroves has no dramatic change in the past decade. The Tanzania Mangrove Management Project and other closely related programs and efforts pertaining to mangrove conservation contribute to direct restoration and natural regeneration of mangroves. This study documents the changes of mangroves and demonstrates that remote sensing and GIS offer important data and tools in the advancement of coastal resource management and ecosystem monitoring. Application of geographic information technologies is critical for improved coastal resources management and decision making for sustainable development in Tanzania.     

粤港澳大湾区红树林时空分布演变及现存林龄遥感分析

红树林作为热带、亚热带以红树植物为主体的海岸带生态系统,是重要的海岸湿地类型之一。本文使用多源、多时相遥感数据,形成了1969-2020年粤港澳大湾区岸线、围填海、养殖区、红树林分布数据图集,并利用联合红树林识别指数(CMRI)对大湾区现存红树林进行时序分析得到红树林林龄数据集。结果表明,通过多源遥感数据解译得到现存红树林数据集,结合CMRI时序数据可以建立现存红树林变迁历史,进而有效估算红树林林龄。粤港澳大湾区红树林的时空分布发生了明显变迁,现存红树林面积约为3 316 hm²,大湾区内部各地区存量林龄差异较大,整体林龄均值为20 a。近50年间,岸线整体向海移动,岸线变迁、围填海和养殖区变化显著影响红树林面积、空间分布及林龄大小,人工种植是近20年红树林恢复的主因。     

Changes in biotic and abiotic processes following mangrove clearing

Mangrove forests, important tropical coastal habitats, are in decline worldwide primarily due to removal by humans. Changes to mangrove systems can alter ecosystem properties through direct effects on abiotic factors such as temperature, light and nutrient supply or through changes in biotic factors such as primary productivity or species composition. Despite the importance of mangroves as transitional habitats between land and sea, little research has examined changes that occur when they are cleared. We examined changes in a number of biotic and abiotic factors following the anthropogenic removal of red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) in the Panamanian Caribbean, including algal biomass, algal diversity, algal grazing rates, light penetration, temperature, sedimentation rates and sediment organic content. In this first study examining multiple ecosystem-level effects of mangrove disturbance, we found that areas cleared of mangroves had higher algal biomass and richness than intact mangrove areas. This increase in algal biomass and richness was likely due to changes in abiotic factors (e.g. light intensity, temperature), but not biotic factors (fish herbivory). Additionally the algal and cyanobacterial genera dominating mangrove-cleared areas were rare in intact mangroves and included a number of genera that compete with coral for space on reefs. Interestingly, sedimentation rates did not differ between intact and cleared areas, but the sediments that accumulated in intact mangroves had higher organic content. These findings are the first to demonstrate that anthropogenic clearing of mangroves changes multiple biotic and abiotic processes in mangrove forests and that some of these changes may influence adjacent habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds. Additional research is needed to further explore the community and ecosystem-level effects of mangrove clearing and their influence on adjacent habitats, but it is clear that mangrove conservation is an important aspect of managing tropical coastal systems.     

Coastal aquaculture,mangrove deforestation and blue carbon emissions: Is REDD+ a solution?

Globally, coastal aquaculture particularly shrimp farming has been under huge criticism because of its environmental impacts including devastating effects on mangrove forests. However, mangroves are ecologically and economically important forests, and the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics that provide a wide range of ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. Carbon emissions are likely to have been the dominant cause of climate change and blue carbon emissions are being critically augmented through mangrove deforestation. Because of mangrove deforestation, different climatic variables including coastal flooding, cyclone, drought, rainfall, salinity, sea-level rise, and sea surface temperature have dramatic effects on coastal aquaculture. Mangrove forests have been instrumental in augmenting resilience to climate change. The “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD)” program can help to restore mangroves which in turn increases options for adaptation to climate change. However, technical and financial assistance with institutional support are needed to implement REDD+.     

1991—2011年廉江红树林分布及变化的遥感分析

利用1991年的1景TM遥感数据，2000年的ETM+遥感数据和2011年HJ-1A遥感数据进行廉江红树林信息的提取。结果表明：1991，2000和2011年廉江的红树林分布面积分别为131.6，628.7和1 056.2 ha。自1991年至2011年红树林呈增加的趋势，共增加924.6 ha，20年间研究区域的红树林约增加了7倍。湛江红树林国家自然保护区的建立对于红树林湿地生态系统的保护和恢复起到极大的促进作用，研究区域红树林造林恢复成果显著，种植了大量的人工红树林。     

Solutions to blue carbon emissions: Shrimp cultivation,mangrove deforestation and climate change in coastal Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, export-oriented shrimp farming is one of the most important sectors of the national economy. However, shrimp farming in coastal Bangladesh has devastating effects on mangrove forests. Mangroves are the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics, and blue carbon (i.e., carbon in coastal and marine ecosystems) emissions from mangrove deforestation due to shrimp cultivation are accumulating. These anthropogenic carbon emissions are the dominant cause of climate change, which in turn affect shrimp cultivation. Some adaptation strategies including Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), mangrove restoration, and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) could help to reduce blue carbon emissions. Translocation of shrimp culture from mangroves to open-water IMTA and restoration of habitats could reduce blue carbon emissions, which in turn would increase blue carbon sequestration. Mangrove restoration by the REDD+ program also has the potential to conserve mangroves for resilience to climate change. However, institutional support is needed to implement the proposed adaptation strategies.     

广东省红树林资源变化遥感监测

利用1990年的Landsat-5TM、2000年的Landsat-7ETM+和2008年的CBERS-02BCCD 3期遥感影像对广东省近18a来的红树林湿地资源进行监测,并对其时空变化情况进行分析。结果表明:广东省红树林呈现不断增加的趋势,1990年、2000年和2008年的面积分别为7 733.2,8 722.0和9 593.3hm2;红树林由沿岸分散分布趋于集中分布;天然林减少,人工林增加。     

Ecological influence of exotic plants of Sonneratia apetala on understory macrofauna

The study aims to compare the differences of macrofauna communities of wetlands at 3-year-forest- age, 5-year-forest-age Sonneratia apetala artificial mangroves, 5-year-forest-age Kandelia candel ar- tificial mangroves with the same restoration background, and the naked tidal flat in the Qi’ao Island Mangrove Nature Reserve of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The results show that there were signif- icant structural differences in macrofauna communities among four kinds of habitats. The increase of biomass and species diversity of macrofauna at 3-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves was obviously faster than that at 5-year-forest-age K. candel artificial mangroves whose average tree height was close to that of 3-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves. The BIOENV analysis shows that it was related to the rapid growth of S. apetala, which rapidly changed the light level and shading conditions in the forests. The 5-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves had lower macrofauna species diversity but higher density and biomass than K. candel artificial mangroves with the same forest age. This was due to the rapid changes of physical and chemical properties of habitat soil by the ecological restoration of S. apetala artificial mangroves as well as the changed food sources possibly caused by the leaf-litter of such non-indigenous mangrove species S. apetala. However, further survey should be conducted on whether there are any negative ecological impacts of large-scale cultivation of S. apetala on macrofauna communities, so as to evaluate correctly S. apetala’s role in the restoration of coastal mangrove ecosystems.     

Effects of urban wastewater on crab and mollusc assemblages in equatorial and subtropical mangroves of East Africa

Mangrove forests are known to accomplish crucial ecosystem functions and services. They are nursery areas for fish, prawns and crabs, which provide coastal communities with a variety of food, timber and chemicals, and protect coasts from catastrophic events, such as tsunamis. Recently, a novel ecological service has been proposed for mangrove systems, namely natural wastewater treatment wetlands. This hypothesis was based on experimental data collected mainly in Chinese mangrove systems, which proved that mangrove soils were efficient in absorbing nutrients. Moreover, sewage loading seemed harmless to both plants and benthic communities in these systems. However, before promoting the use of natural mangroves as pollution buffers, or constructed mangrove wetlands as sewage treatment facilities, more data are needed on their overall tolerance to organic loading. Differences in macrobenthos patterns were thus investigated between peri-urban mangroves and sites not affected by sewage disposal in East Africa. We assessed differences in epifaunal assemblages, comprising crabs and molluscs, employing multivariate ACI unbalanced analyses to compare peri-urban mangrove swamps with those characteristic of non-urban mangroves with similar ecological traits. The sampling design was spatially nested, replicates being assessed at equatorial (southern Kenya) and subtropical (southern Mozambique) sites. The results manifested a consistent increase in crab biomass at the peri-urban sites in both Kenya and Mozambique. Moreover, the peri-urban systems were richer than the non-urban mangroves, both in terms of fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) which feed on benthic microalgae and bacteria, and sesarmids, such as Perisesarma guttatum and Neosarmatium meinerti, which feed on both substratum and leaf litter. The abundance of gastropods, in contrast, decreased significantly, especially in Kenya, mainly due to the disappearance of the mud whelk Terebralia palustris. The results thus indicate that, in East African mangrove systems, domestic wastewater has detectable effects on crabs and molluscs, suggesting their usefulness as bioindicators of its effects in mangroves. Transformed benthic patterns at the peri-urban sites indicated the need for further study of the actual potential of natural mangrove forests to absorb pollution in sewage treatment.     

基于HY-1C卫星CZI数据的红树林长势遥感监测

红树林是一种以耐盐的红树植物为主体的潮滩湿地林生物群落,其生长状态对于海岸带具有重要意义,利用遥感技术对红树林进行监测已成为目前主要手段之一。本文以广西北海山口红树林为例,利用HY-1C卫星的海岸带成像仪数据,结合其纹理参数,提取红树林信息,并对红树林植被指数进行分析。结果表明:2018年10月至11月间,红树林的RVI值均大于1,其中部分区域大于5;红树林的NDVI值的变化处于0~0.01之间,NDVI均值都大于0.5;红树林的EVI指数值主要集中在0.2~0.7之间。不同的植被指数计算结果均表明山口红树林长势良好。     

Assessing the potential of REDD+ in a production mangrove forest in Malaysia using stakeholder analysis and ecosystem services mapping

Mangrove forests are ecologically important and carbon-rich coastal ecosystems that provide direct and indirect livelihood support for coastal communities. In recent years there has been increased discussion in the policy and scientific communities over how to include mangrove forests in climate change mitigation initiatives such as REDD+. There are a number of challenges to establishing a successful REDD+ project in mangrove areas, with land tenure and stakeholder entitlements arguably the most challenging. This study examines how REDD+ approaches might be applied to better balance timber production and conservation objectives in the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR), a 40,466 ha mangrove forest area in Malaysia. Stakeholder profiles and needs are linked with ecosystem services to develop an integrated profile of this complex social-ecological system, which has been managed for timber production for more than 100 years, and has recently revealed evidence of declining ecosystem health. The results provide insights into how REDD+ might be operationalised in existing forest areas with traditions of multiple uses, potentially contributing to improved social-ecological outcomes for forests and their diverse stakeholders.     

Biomass accumulation and organic carbon stocks of Kandelia obovata mangrove vegetation under different simulated sea levels

Mangrove forests are vulnerably threatened by sea level rise (SLR). Vegetation organic carbon (OC) stocks are important for mangrove ecosystem carbon cycle. It is critical to understand how SLR affects vegetation OC stocks for evaluating mangrove blue carbon budget and global climate change. In this study, biomass accumulation and OC stocks of mangrove vegetation were compared among three 10 year-old Kandelia obovata (a common species in China) mangrove forests under three intertidal elevations through species-specific allometric equations. This study simulated mangrove forests with SLR values of 0 cm, 40 cm and 80 cm, respectively, representing for the current, future ~100 a and future ~200 a SLR of mangrove forests along the Jiulong River Estuary, China. SLR directly decreased mangrove individual density and inhibited the growth of mangrove vegetation. The total vegetation biomasses were (12.86±0.95) kg/m2, (7.97±0.90) kg/m2 and (3.89±0.63) kg/m2 at Sites SLR 0 cm, SLR 40 cm and SLR 80 cm, respectively. The total vegetation OC stock decreased by approximately 3.85 kg/m2 (in terms of C) from Site SLR 0 cm to Site SLR 80 cm. Significantly lower vegetation biomass and OC stock of various components (stem, branch, leaf and root) were found at Site SLR 80 cm. Annual increments of vegetation biomass and OC stock also decreased with SLR increase. Moreover, significant lower sedimentation rate was found at Site SLR 80 cm. These indicated that SLR will decrease mangrove vegetation biomass and OC stock, which may reduce global blue carbon sink by mangroves, exacerbate global warming and give positive feedback to SLR.     

What makes mangroves attractive to fish? Use of artificial units to test the influence of water depth,cross-shelf location,and presence of root structure

Mangroves are an attractive fish habitat because they provide shelter and food for juvenile fishes. However, because mangroves are almost always located in shallow water and in sheltered (i.e., lagoonal, estuarine or bay) environments, the degree to which the latter two factors contribute to the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots as a fish habitat is unknown. Artificial Mangrove Units (AMUs) were placed at multiple depths and along a gradient from an embayment to, and including, the coral reef. Total fish density and species richness in AMUs placed in the embayment was lower at 1 m depth than at 2 and 3 m depth, suggesting that shallow water is not a prerequisite for the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots as a fish habitat. Total fish density and species richness were equal or greater in AMUs on the coral reef than in the embayment, suggesting that placement of mangroves in a sheltered lagoonal environment is not solely responsible for the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots either. After 3 weeks, removal of AMUs did not have a negative effect on total fish density or species richness. However, within the embayment AMU removal resulted in the complete collapse of the assemblage component comprised of species that use mangroves as juvenile habitats, highlighting the need for a species-based approach towards assessing the benefits provided by the presence of mangrove root structure for fishes.     

深圳市福田国家级红树林自然保护区的红树林生态系统健康评价

为切实保护珍贵的红树林资源,保持红树林生态系统健康,文章构建相应的评价指标体系,采用科学的评价方法,对深圳市福田国家级红树林自然保护区的红树林生态系统健康进行评价。研究结果表明:根据红树林生态系统健康的影响因素,评价指标体系包括环境和生态2个一级指标,海水质量、生物栖息地质量和生物质量3个二级指标以及海水pH值和盐度等15个三级指标;根据各评价指标的监测数据、量化分级和赋值,计算深圳市福田国家级红树林自然保护区4个季节的红树林生态系统健康综合评价值;红树林生态系统健康随季节变化不明显,其中春季、夏季和冬季为亚健康,秋季为健康,主要原因是秋季的海水盐度较低。     

Local community training and education in southern Tanzania—a case study

Local coastal communities are highly dependent upon the marine environment not only for protein but also as a primary source of income. In addition, there are growing economic opportunities offered within the coastal zone. As populations increase in these areas there is an increasing demand on coastal resources. This in turn requires effective management initiatives at regional, national and local levels.The Marine Education and Training Programme in Mtwara, southern Tanzania was a small scale capacity building project that incorporated two elements; a primary schools field day education programme and a marine coastal resources course for fishermen and women from the Mtwara District. The programme ran for a period of 1 year and during that time 14 schools, 198 children, 34 fishermen, 2 women and 14 villages participated. Results from preliminary evaluation indicated that such education is not only welcome by the local government offices, teachers, village chairmen and fishermen as an expansion of the knowledge base, but is also an important and valuable stepping stone for the local communities to become active in issues regarding the management of coastal resources.     

Topographical Mapping of a Bare Tidal Flat Outside a Mangrove Area based on the Waterline Method and an Iterative Hydrodynamic Model: A Case Study of Yingluo Bay,South China

A change in the elevation of bare tidal flats outside a mangrove area is an indispensable factor for the sustainable development of mangroves. Waterline extraction, as an effective and economical tool used in reconstructing the terrain of an intertidal zone, has been widely applied to open-coast tidal flats by constructing a digital elevation model (DEM). However, mangrove wetlands are usually located in wave-sheltered sites, such as estuaries and bays that have narrow tidal channels flanked by tidal flats. Changes in water level are affected by the dry-wet processes of complex landforms caused by tides. This article takes as a study case the area of Yingluo Bay, which covers the core region of the Zhanjiang and Shankou National Mangrove National Nature Reserve in southwestern China. Waterline extraction based on seventeen multisource and multispectral satellite images obtained from December 2014 to April 2015, combining the finite-volume coastal ocean model (FVCOM) hydrodynamic model in an iterative process, was used to generate a topographical map of the bare tidal flat outside the mangrove area in Yingluo Bay. The quality of the iterative DEMs was evaluated via six transects of a ground-based survey using Real - time kinematic (RKT) GPS in May 2015. The mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of the DEM decreased with an increase in the number of iterations. In this study, the DEM in the third iteration was used as the final output because the difference from the previous iterative DEM satisfied an inversion-stopping criterion. The MAE and RMSE of the final DEM with the measured data were 0.072 and 0.09?m, respectively, without considering small tidal creeks. The method used in this study can be an effective and highly precise approach for detecting and reconstructing the historical terrain of a bare tidal flat outside a mangrove area. This work also has great importance regarding intertidal resource management and the sustainable development of mangroves facing the vulnerable coastal ecological environment.     

Assessment of aquaculture impact on mangroves of Mahanadi delta (Orissa), East coast of India using remote sensing and GIS

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food industries. However, the rapid growth of aquaculture worldwide has resulted in growing concerns about its impact on important ecosystems. The expansion of aquaculture farms in the coastal areas has led to conversion of mangroves, more rapidly. To assess the impact of aquaculture on mangroves, the present study has been undertaken in Mahanadi delta of Orissa, East coast of India which is famous for its distinctive mangrove ecosystem. It has undergone tremendous changes due to the development of aquaculture and agriculture activities during last two decades. For this, satellite data of different time periods (Landsat MSS of 1973, Landsat TM of 1990 and IRS P6 LISS III of 2006) were used. It was found that the delta was occupied by dense mangrove (12.6%), open mangrove (3.3%), aquaculture (12.9%) and agriculture (30.9%) in 2006. A loss of 2606 ha mangrove area and an increase of 3657 ha aquaculture area was observed from 1973 to 2006 clearly depicts the augment of aquaculture industry. It is suggested that, regular monitoring of the mangroves and effective implementation of coastal management laws be strictly undertaken to prevent the further loss mangroves in Mahanadi delta.     

厦门湾红树林生境适宜性评估及修复潜力分析

为定量评估多元环境因子对红树林分布的影响,探索区域红树林生境适宜性和修复潜力的空间分布格局,本研究应用最大熵模型评估厦门湾红树林生境适宜性,叠加土地利用/覆被数据分析红树林修复潜力。结果表明,在生物气候、地形、水质、沉积物、水文等5组环境变量中,影响厦门湾研究区内红树林分布的主要环境变量类型为温度、地形和水质。在单项环境因子中,离岸线距离、营养盐浓度、盐度等对厦门湾红树林生境适宜性的贡献度最大。适宜性和修复潜力较高的区域主要分布于九龙江河口、翔安下潭尾、海沧东屿等区域。与现存红树林的分布相对照,理论上还有约406.4 hm^2的高修复潜力区和1001.2 hm^2的中修复潜力区可考虑用于未来红树林修复。现有的保护区和修复工程已基本覆盖了上述大部分区域,未来厦门湾内的红树林修复选址可考虑泉州市安海湾沿岸、龙海市九龙江河口、漳州港沿岸和附近岛屿。本研究尝试采用新兴模型方法判断红树林的综合适生条件,并实现空间化、定量化的评估,其结果可为红树林修复选址提供重要的科学依据,并为区域红树林保护与修复管理提供决策支持。     

Using mangroves as a geological indicator of coastal changes in the Bragança macrotidal flat,Brazilian Amazon: A remote sensing data approach

A mangrove ecosystem shows close links between geomorphology and vegetation assemblage. In addition, the vegetation can change over time as landforms can accrete or erode, which is a direct response to coastal sedimentary processes. This demonstrates that significant changes can occur on short time scales and mangroves provide an excellent register of these modifications. Therefore, mangrove morphology and sedimentation are good indicators of interactions between relative sea level changes, coastal processes and sediment supply. These interactions are responsible for landward migration of the shoreline (erosion) and seaward migration of the shoreline (accretion), which is possible to detect from multi-date satellite data and field observations. Mangroves are one of the best geo-indicators in global coastal change research and they are an excellent procedure to detect and quantify coastal modifications.     

中国濒危红树植物研究与恢复现状

我国红树植物种类约占全世界的1/3,在世界红树植物多样性保护中占有重要地位。但在我国近一半的红树植物呈现出不同程度的濒危状态,科学保护迫在眉睫。本文从濒危红树植物的濒危现状、濒危机制、保护性研究工作和恢复现状等方面对我国濒危红树植物进行了综述,对濒危红树植物的种群扩大和恢复提出了建议。本文认为我国濒危红树植物濒危特点为濒危物种多、濒危等级高、分布范围极为狭窄;我国濒危红树植物的保护性研究工作涉及濒危机制和种苗繁育各个方面,但仅局限于少数物种;引种工作缺乏物种致危因素的科技支撑,同时跟踪监测和人为管护不足。综合考虑濒危红树植物致危因素,将生境保护与人工繁育相结合以最终实现自然更新能力的恢复。