Assessment of coastal wetland resources of central west coast, India, using LANDSAT data

The part of central west coast (Maharashtra and Goa) of India has been classified and quantified for coastal wetlands using LANDSAT data of 1985-86. The classification accuracy of the maps and area estimates achieved was 84% at 90% confidence level and the planimetric accuracy at 1:2,50,000 scale was 0.3 mm. The total coastal wetland areas in Maharashtra and Goa, have been estimated to be 1567 and 115 km:2, respectively. The estuarine and backwater regions contribute 44.6% of the wetland, followed by open mudflats (32%), mangroves (8.8%) and beach/spit (7.8%). Mangroves comprised of 17 species and are dominated by Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia officinalis, A. marina, Sonneralia alba, Excoecaria agallocha and Acanthus ilicifolius. The sand-dune flora comprised of 63 species while rocky intertidal regions harboured > 100 species of marine algae. Erosional changes have been noticed to be predominant along the Maharashtra coast while progradation of beaches is noticed in Goa.