587
assessment of the mangrove community maps are carried out using the field/ground
truth data. Usually, the ground truth/field information collected for the 50% of the
total number of the GT (ground truth) points, are used in training the classifier and
the remaining 50% GT points are used for estimating the classification/mapping
accuracy.
19.5.1 Case Study for India
Inventory of the mangrove forest cover in India is regularly done (once in a 2 years)
since 1987. Spatial inventory of mangrove forest cover through the analysis of the
multispectral LISS-III data from the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) is carried out regularly by Forest Survey of India (FSI). The spatial inventory provides the
information on the area and crown density (three classes: very dense, moderately
dense and open) at national, state and district levels (FSI 2013).
However the above mapping of mangroves by FSI does not provide information
on mangrove community. Methodology as discussed above has been used to generate spatial inventory of the mangroves at community level for India (Ajai et al.
2012, 2013). Before going in to the details of the case study on community level
mapping of mangroves, it will be appropriate to discuss the status of the mangrove
forest cover, its geographic distributions and types of mangrove in India as well as
the threat to this important ecosystem.
19.5.1.1 Mangrove Forests of India
India has a long coastline of 7517 km. It has about 4628 km
2
area under mangrove
cover (FSI 2013) which is about 0.14% of the geographic area of the country. In
terms of the mangrove area, India stands at the 11th position in the world. In India,
mangrove forests are found on both eastern and western coasts, mostly within the
sheltered inter tidal flat deltaic lands, funnel shaped bays, broad estuarine mouths
and shallow or frequently tidal inundated coastlines. Each of these habitats has a
unique environmental setting created by factors like geomorphology of the coast,
climate, tidal amplitude, and duration and quantity of freshwater inflow and the
salinity quotient caused by mixing up of the freshwater with the sea water. Though
mangrove forests are found in all the nine maritime states of India and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, but major patches are confined to only seven states and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (shown in Fig. 19.4). Basically, mangrove forests of
India are located in three zones: (i) East coast, (ii) West coast and (iii) Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. In most part of the west coast, hilly terrain starts after a narrow
strip of flat land. Whereas, east coast comprises of vast flat terrain and many deltas.
In east coast, major formations of mangrove forests are: Sunderbans (West Bengal),
Bhitarkanika and Mahanadi (Odhisa), and Pichhavaram and Muthupet (Tamilnadu).
The major mangrove areas in west coast are: Vembanad (Kerala), Coondapur
19 Mangrove Inventory, Monitoring, and Health Assessment
assessment of the mangrove community maps are carried out using the field/ground
truth data. Usually, the ground truth/field information collected for the 50% of the
total number of the GT (ground truth) points, are used in training the classifier and
the remaining 50% GT points are used for estimating the classification/mapping
accuracy.
19.5.1 Case Study for India
Inventory of the mangrove forest cover in India is regularly done (once in a 2 years)
since 1987. Spatial inventory of mangrove forest cover through the analysis of the
multispectral LISS-III data from the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) is carried out regularly by Forest Survey of India (FSI). The spatial inventory provides the
information on the area and crown density (three classes: very dense, moderately
dense and open) at national, state and district levels (FSI 2013).
However the above mapping of mangroves by FSI does not provide information
on mangrove community. Methodology as discussed above has been used to generate spatial inventory of the mangroves at community level for India (Ajai et al.
2012, 2013). Before going in to the details of the case study on community level
mapping of mangroves, it will be appropriate to discuss the status of the mangrove
forest cover, its geographic distributions and types of mangrove in India as well as
the threat to this important ecosystem.
19.5.1.1 Mangrove Forests of India
India has a long coastline of 7517 km. It has about 4628 km
2
area under mangrove
cover (FSI 2013) which is about 0.14% of the geographic area of the country. In
terms of the mangrove area, India stands at the 11th position in the world. In India,
mangrove forests are found on both eastern and western coasts, mostly within the
sheltered inter tidal flat deltaic lands, funnel shaped bays, broad estuarine mouths
and shallow or frequently tidal inundated coastlines. Each of these habitats has a
unique environmental setting created by factors like geomorphology of the coast,
climate, tidal amplitude, and duration and quantity of freshwater inflow and the
salinity quotient caused by mixing up of the freshwater with the sea water. Though
mangrove forests are found in all the nine maritime states of India and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, but major patches are confined to only seven states and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (shown in Fig. 19.4). Basically, mangrove forests of
India are located in three zones: (i) East coast, (ii) West coast and (iii) Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. In most part of the west coast, hilly terrain starts after a narrow
strip of flat land. Whereas, east coast comprises of vast flat terrain and many deltas.
In east coast, major formations of mangrove forests are: Sunderbans (West Bengal),
Bhitarkanika and Mahanadi (Odhisa), and Pichhavaram and Muthupet (Tamilnadu).
The major mangrove areas in west coast are: Vembanad (Kerala), Coondapur
19 Mangrove Inventory, Monitoring, and Health Assessment