Contextualizing Mangrove Forest Deforestation in Southeast Asia Using Environmental and Socio-Economic Data Products

Abstract

Research Highlights: This paper provides an alternative approach to contextualize mangrove forest loss by integrating available environmental and socio-economic data sets and products. Background and Objectives: Mangrove forest ecosystems grow in brackish water especially in areas exposed to accumulation of organic matter and tides. This forest type is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical coastal areas. Recent studies have revealed that the mangrove forest ecosystem had significantly degraded due to Land Use and Cover Changes (LUCC) in the recent past. Therefore, contribution of mangrove deforestation drivers has to be assessed to ensure a comprehensive analysis for ecosystem conservation and restoration and facilitate decision making. Materials and Methods: Firstly, a correlation analysis was conducted between individual data products and mangrove deforestation. Each data product was associated with the Dominant Land Use of Deforested Mangrove Patches data for 2012. Next, calculations were performed for specific data combinations to estimate the contributions of anthropogenic factors to mangrove deforestation. Results: In general, our study revealed that 22.64% of the total deforested area was converted into agriculture, 5.85% was converted into aquaculture, 0.69% was converted into infrastructure, and 16.35% was not converted into any specific land use class but was still affected by other human activities. Conclusions: We discovered that the percentage of land affected by these anthropogenic factors varied between countries and regions. This research can facilitate trade-off analysis for natural resources and environmental sustainability policy studies. Diverse management strategies can be evaluated to assess the trade-offs between preserving mangrove forests for climate change mitigation and transforming them for economic purposes.

School Location Analysis by Integrating the Accessibility, Natural and Biological Hazards to Support Equal Access to Education

“…Moreover, disaster vulnerability could be estimated, especially when ecosystem service calculation is used. Coastal [80][81][82][83], cropland [84,85], and forest ecosystems [86] including mangrove [87][88][89] are the potential ecosystems important to be analyzed for its vulnerability.…”

A Data-Intensive Approach to Address Food Sustainability: Integrating Optic and Microwave Satellite Imagery for Developing Long-Term Global Cropping Intensity and Sowing Month from 2001 to 2015

“…Improved cropping intensity and sowing month would enhance our ability to measure crop production and improve crop management [82]. The impact of this change on environmental health, including in forests [83][84][85], urban areas [86,87], and surface water or rivers [88], could also be explored. Further investigations are required to elucidate the reason for this sowing month change, the impact of this change on the food security situation, and future projections.…”

Spatial Prioritization for Wildfire Mitigation by Integrating Heterogeneous Spatial Data: A New Multi-Dimensional Approach for Tropical Rainforests

“…In this case, a comprehensive study involving historical and political view has not been explored to propose wildfire mitigation prioritization concept and its relation to conservation. In addition, multi-source remote sensing data products and socio-economic data have been integrated to support a comprehensive spatial analysis at the national and regional levels [32][33][34][35][36]. Hence, A spatial data-driven approach exposes an opportunity to analyze tropical wildfire mitigation strategy extensively from multiple aspects [37][38][39].…”