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Marine pollution, ecotoxicology and sustainability
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Historical seaward mangrove habitat expansion in the Merlimau, Malaysia
P-E1-07
Sahadev Sharma* , Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya
Siti Noor Adibah, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya
Wan Mohd Nabil, School of Biology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Technology Mara, Shah Alam
Rozainah Binti Mohamad Zakaria, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya
Harinder Rai Singh, School of Biology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Technology Mara, Shah Alam
Albert Apollo Chan, Department of Marine Parks, Malaysia
Presenter Email: ssharma@um.edu.my |
| Mangrove forest provide important ecosystem services such as timber, fisheries, coastal protection, aesthetic values, nutrient cycle, water purification and climate regulation to surrounding coastal communities. Though they provide many ecosystem services their rate of deforestation is very high across globe. Malaysia has third largest mangrove forest cover in the world with 4691 ha. However, Malaysia has lost 278 ha of mangroves from 2000 to 2014 due to land conversion for agriculture, palm plantation, aquaculture and urban development. Besides that high sedimentation rate is occurring in estuaries due to increased catchment sediment yields, which is overall associated with land-use changes. Consequently, accelerated the filling of estuaries that have become progressively intertidal zone. Mangroves have capacity to trap sediment by dampening currents and attenuating waves thus sediment accumulation rates are highest within the fringing mangroves. Consequently, these intertidal flats have been colonized by mangroves which leads to seaward expansion of mangroves. A quick study was done in Merlimau, Malacca mangrove forest reserve area to quantify mangrove habitat expansion area cover. This study assesses the current extent and historical expansion of the mangroves by analyzing google earth engine images. An analysis of a time series of google earth images, covering the period from 1984 to 2017, has revealed major changes in the distribution of mangroves in the Merlimau. Mangrove-habitat expansion has occurred rapidly over the last 30 years in the 600 ha mangrove area. Mangrove forest now extends to 0.5 km seaward of the 1984 shoreline. Mangrove habitat expansion started from year 1992. Mangrove expansion rate was slower in year 1992 and have increased since year 2009. This may be due to land use land cover change have increased from year 2009. Mangrove habitat expansion has increased twice (300 ha) in last 30 years. At the landward side main species were Rhizophora muronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Bruguiera parviflora, while Bruguiera parviflora and Avicennia marina were dominant species at the seaward side. This might be because of the sedimentation rates, nutrition and sunlight play an important role in the survival of natural regeneration of mangrove species. The fate of Marlimau mangrove forest will depend on vertical accretion of sediment at a rate equal to or exceeding sea level rise.
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