A Mapping and Monitoring Assessment of the Philippines' Mangrove Forests from 1990 to 2010

ABSTRACT Long, J.; Napton, D.; Giri, C., and Graesser, J., 2014. A mapping and monitoring assessment of the Philippines' mangrove forests from 1990 to 2010. Information on the present condition and spatiotemporal dynamics of mangrove forests is needed for land-change studies and integrated natural resources planning and management. Although several national mangrove estimates for the Philippines exist, information is unavailable at sufficient spatial and thematic detail for change analysis. Historical and contemporary mangrove distribution maps of the Philippines for 1990 and 2010 were prepared at nominal 30-m spatial resolution using Landsat satellite data. Image classification was performed using a supervised decision tree classification approach. Additionally, decadal land-cover change maps from 1990 to 2010 were prepared to depict changes in mangrove area. Total mangrove area decreased 10.5% from 1990 to 2010. Comparison of estimates produced from this study with selected historical mangrove area esti...