| MAPPING SPATIAL CHANGES OF MANGROVE STRUCTURES USING LANDSAT 8 IN HARA BIOSPHERE RESERVE |
| Paper ID : 1009-SMPR |
| Authors: |
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Davood Mafi-Gholami *1, Javad Safari2 1Assisstant Prof., Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shaherkord University, Shaherkord, Iran 2Ms.c. student, Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shaherkord University, Shaherkord, Iran |
| Abstract: |
| Development of effective planning and management strategies to conserve and restore mangrove ecosystems needs to monitor the structures of mangrove over time, which would be a powerful indicator for assessing degree of vulnerability of mangroves to the climate change. The aim of this study was also mapping the changes in the structure of mangroves in Hara Biosphere Reserve (HBR) of Iran. To this end, besides extensive field survey and measuring the diameters at breast height (DBH) of all mangrove in sample plots, Landsat images of 2018 was used and the NDVI map was computed for the HBR. Finally, the relationship between DBH and NDVI was used for mapping spatial changes of DBH of mangroves in HBR for 2018. The results showed that DBH of mangrove varies from 4.3cm to 36.5cm. Based on this, the average value of DBH in the HBR was equal to 17.4cm. The results also showed that the mangroves at the seaward edges in the central and eastern parts of the HBR have higher DBH values and structural development than other parts of the habitat. Considering that rising sea levels in the future will lead to the loss of seaward edges of HBR, it is expected that in the coming decades, the degree of structural development of the HBR to be decreased. The results of this study by providing more detailed insights into the effects of rising sea levels on mangroves, shows the susceptibility of mangrove ecosystems to the destructive effects of climate change. |
| Keywords: |
| Mangrove, DBH, Landsat 8, Mapping, Hara Biosphere Reserve |
| Status : Paper Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
