Detecting dynamic changes in mangrove forests in the Dandou Sea, Beibu Gulf

Abstract

Mangrove forests are significant ecosystems worldwide and play a crucial role in maintaining the biodiversity of intertidal zones in tropical and subtropical regions. However, most mangroves have experienced large-scale losses due to anthropogenic activities and natural stress from environmental factors. Here, the dynamic changes in mangroves in the Dandou Sea (DDS) of the Beibu Gulf between 1987 and 2021 were analyzed via multispectral satellite remote sensing data from the Google Earth Engine Platform. The results indicated that the area of mangroves in the DDS increased from 225.90 ha in 1987 to 451.76 ha in 2021. Throughout this period, the overall mangrove area in the DDS, as well as in its western and central parts, underwent a rapid growth phase from 1987 to 1996, followed by a slow growth phase from 1997 to 2011, and eventually entered a stagnation phase from 2013 to 2021. Moreover, due to the biological invasion caused by Spartina alterniflora, the mangrove forests in this area tended toward fragmentation. Moreover, S. alterniflora suppressed the spread of mangrove forests, accounting for up to 41.69% of the total loss. In a similar vein, the local high-intensity economic activities within the tidal flat accounted for 32.55% of the mangrove loss. Additionally, the expansion of aquaculture ponds and construction land directly accounted for 9.45% and 7.91% of the mangrove loss, respectively. Furthermore, the establishment of mangrove nature reserves played a positive role in the restoration and expansion of mangroves in the DDS. Our results also demonstrated that sea level rise had little impact on mangrove retreat.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

mangrove forests / human activities / sea level rise / Dandou Sea / Google Earth Engine

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Key Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 41930537 and 42366009), and Marine Science Program for Guangxi First-Class Discipline, Beibu Gulf University.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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