Spatial analysis of anthropogenic disturbances in mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika Conservation Area, India
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J. Indian Soc. Remote Sens. (March 2010) 38 : 67–83
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Spatial Analysis of Anthropogenic Disturbances in Mangrove Forests of Bhitarkanika Conservation Area, India K.R. Ambastha . S. A. Hussain . R. Badola . P. S. Roy
Received: 03.08.2009 / Accepted: 07.09.2009
Keywords Mangrove Forests . Anthropogenic Disturbance Systems (GIS) . Resource Use . Total Use Value Abstract The dependence of coastal communities on mangrove forests for direct consumptive use due to the scarcity of alternate resources makes them one of the highly disturbed landscapes. This paper examines the spatial characteristics and extent of anthropogenic disturbances affecting the mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika Conservation Area situated
K.R. Ambastha1 . S. A.Hussain1 ( ) . R. Badola1 . P. S. Roy2 1 Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box # 18, Dehra Dun. 248003, Uttarakhand, India. 2 National Remote Sensing Centre, Balanagar, Hyderabad 500625, India.
email: [email protected]
. Remote Sensing . Geographic Information
along the east coast of India by using remotely sensed data and GIS, supplemented with socioeconomic surveys. The study reveals that resource extractions from these forests were considerable despite the protected status. Around 14% of the total fuel wood consumed annually in each of the household came from the mangrove forests of the Park. The patterns of consumption were spatially heterogeneous, controlled by the availability of alternatives, ease of accessibility, presence of markets, human density, and forest composition. The disturbance surface showed 30% of the major forest classes to be under high to very high levels of disturbance especially at easy access points. Besides, the distribution of economically useful species also determined the degree of disturbance. Resource use surfaces clearly identified the biotic pressure zones with respect to specific mangrove use and could be combined with the disturbance regime map to prioritize areas for mangrove restoration.
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Introduction In many parts of the tropics, the economy of coastal communities is intricately linked with mangrove forests (Spaninks and van Beukering, 1997) where they play a major role in sustaining livelihoods by providing a wide variety of goods and services to people (Badola and Hussain, 2005, Hussain and Badola, 2008; Walters et al., 2008). But like many resource rich areas of the world, mangrove forests are heavily exploited and face threats from population pressures, agricultural reclamations and other unsustainable economic activities (Saenger et al., 1983; Fransworth and Ellison, 1997; Blasco et al., 2001; Valiela et al., 2001). Many studies have shown that human intervention in land utilization has changed forest cover over time (e.g. Kammerbauer and Ardon, 1999; Millington et al., 2003; van Laake and Sanchez-Azofeifa, 2004; Abdullah and Nakagoshi, 2007). In India, mangroves occupy an area of 4482 km 2 , which is 0.14 % of the country’s geographic area (State of Forest Report, 2001). Attributed to the nutrient rich alluvial soil and a
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