The Dynamics of Mangroves in the Mekong Delta (Vietnam): From Degradation to Restoration

Abstract

The results of the analysis of LANDSAT satellite images were used to reconstruct the change in the area of mangrove forests of the Mekong River Delta over a 30-year-long period. This study was based on a series of images made in 1988, 1998, 2013, and 2018, covering the entire coast of the delta. We calculated the total area of mangroves for each period, as well as the area on which the mangroves were replaced by secondary vegetation or anthropogenic landscapes, and the area on which mangrove vegetation was restored. In 1988, the mangrove forest occupied 111 000 ha. The area of mangroves decreased by 35 000 ha over a 30-year period, by 68% of their initial area, and the rate of disappearance of mangrove vegetation calculated from these data should have been 1200 hectares, or about 1% per year. However, the satellite monitoring performed every 10–15 years shows that the negative trend of the dynamics has changed to a positive one. The area of mangroves increased by 7 800 ha from 2013 till 2018. This is the first documented change in the trend of mangrove dynamics for a large region.