Mangrove Restoration and Regeneration Monitoring in Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat State, India, Using Remote Sensing and Geo-Informatics

Abstract

Indian coast harbors richly diverse and critical coastal habitats like coral reefs and mangroves. Mangroves form one of the most important ecosystems of coastal and marine areas. It safeguards the ecology of the coastal areas and provides livelihood opportunities to the fishermen and pastoral families living in these areas. In real sense, mangrove is the Kalpvriksh (divine tree which fulfills all the desires) for the coastal communities. The restoration and plantation of mangroves have received a lot of attentions worldwide. To assess the impact of mangrove plantation activities and to monitor the mangrove regeneration and restoration in various villages, a joint study under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) was taken up by Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG) in the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat State. The major objective of this study was to monitor the increase in mangrove cover in coastal areas of Gulf of Kachchh using the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data of 2005, 2011 and 2014. The mangrove regeneration was monitored using multi-temporal Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) LISS-III and LISS-IV digital data covering Gulf of Kachchh region. The multi-temporal IRS LISS-III data covering Gulf of Kachchh of October-2005, November-2011 and LISS-IV data of April-2014 was analyzed. The mangrove density and mangrove area in different talukas was estimated based on the analysis of IRS LISS-III digital data. The mangroves have been delineated based on the pink colour observed on satellite images and the area was estimated in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The taluka or block-level mangrove areas were estimated and changes in the areas were monitored during the period of six years from 2005 to 2011. It was observed that the areas where mangrove regeneration activities were carried out with active participation of Community Based Organizations (CBOs), mangrove density as well as mangrove area have substantially increased in the Gulf of Kachchh region.