GIS and Remote Sensing for Mangroves Mapping and Monitoring

Malaysia is one of the few South East Asian counties with large tracts of mangroves. They provide ecosystem goods and services to the environment and the surroundings regarding shoreline stabilization, storm protection, water quality maintenance, micro-climate stabilization, recreation, tourism, fishing and supply of various forest products. Despite extensive distribution of the mangroves, threats posed by different land use activities are inevitable. Therefore, knowledge on mangroves distribution and change is importance for effective management and making protection policies. Although remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) has been widely used to characterize and monitor mangroves change over a range of spatial and temporal scales, studies on mangroves change in Malaysia is lacking. Effective mangrove management is vital via acquiring knowledge on forest distribution and changes to establish protection policies. This chapter will elaborate technically how GIS and RS were utilized to identify, map, and monitor changes of mangroves ecosystem in Malaysia. It also highlights how GIS can enhance the current governance and regulations related to forestry in Malaysia.