APPLICATION OF GEO-INFORMATICS FORRESTORING NATURAL MANGROVE DIVERSITY:

A METHODOLOGY FRAMEWORK

Yongyut TRISURATDepartment of Forest Biology

Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart UniversityBangkok, Thailand

http://pirun.ku.ac.th/~fforyyt

Contents• Ecological restoration• Landscape & landscape restoration• Geo-informatics• Conceptual framework• Conclusions

What is Ecological Restoration?

The process of intentionally altering a site to establish a defined, indigenous, historical ecosystem.

Aim: re-establishing the self-sustaining ecosystem and a sufficient resilience to repairthe ecosystems following natural or human disturbance

RestorationRestorationRehabilitationRehabilitationReallocation/ReclamationReallocation/Reclamation

Vesa Kaarakka (2006)

Pathways for Ecosystem Repair

Restoration:To emulate the structure, function, diversityand dynamics of the specified ecosystem.

Rehabilitation (partial restoration):the process of human intervention to restore at least some of the ecosystem functions and some of the original species (replacing a degraded forest with a tree plantation).

Reclamation:Replace a degraded ecosystem with another productive ecosystem type (replacing abundant mine with a fast growing species)

Relationship b/w Ecosystem Attributes and Restoration Processes

--+Self-sustaining

-++Resilience to perturbation (disturbance)

-++External threats eliminated or reduced

-++Integrated into a larger landscape

+++Appropriate physical environment

++-Normal functioning of cycles

+--All functional tropic groups

+--Indigenous species

+--Characteristic assemblage of species

Restor.Rehab.Reclam.Attributes

Ecosystem Attributes & Ambition

+ Suitable; - Not suitable

What is Landscape?

A landscape is an area that is spatially heterogeneous in at least one factor of interest.

A landscape is a contiguous area, intermediate in size between an ecoregion and a site, with aspecific of ecological, cultural and socio-economic characteristics distinct from its neighbors.

Types of Landscape

Landscape Pattern

What is landscape ecology?Emerging science (Ecology + Geography):

• interaction between spatial pattern and ecological process

• causes and consequent effects of spatial and heterogeneity across a range of scale

• combined the spatial approach of geographer with the functional approach of ecologist

Natural Landscape Rest. Matter!

1. Attract and re-establish native animals within the areas

• Native tree specie will maximize the diversity of natural communities

2. Current scientific methods do not trulyunderstand relationships and individual species (man-made vs natural)

• To ensure that the requirements of individual species are met.

Landscape Restoration Handbook:Principles and Guidelines(Harker et al., 1999)

• Spatial principles

• Community principles

How to Restore Natural Landscape?

Species – area curve

1. Large areas of natural communities sustain more species than small areas

2. Many small patches of natural communities in an area will help sustain regional diversity

3. The shape of a nature community patch is as important as the size

Spatial Principles

4. Fragmentation of habitats, communities and ecosystems reduces diversity

5. Isolated patches of natural communities sustain fewer species than closely associated patches

6. Species diversity in patches of natural communities connected by corridors is greater than that of disconnected patches

Spatial Principles

Habitat Fragmentation & Shape

Fragmentation

7. A heterogeneous mosaic of natural community types sustains more species and is more likely to support rare species than a single homogeneous community

8. Ecotones between natural communities are natural and support a variety of species from both communities and species specific to the ecotone

Spatial Principles

Community Principles1. Full restoration of native plant

communities sustains divers wildlife populations

2. An increase in the structural diversityof vegetation increase species diversity

3. A high diversity of plant speciesassures a year-round food supply for the greatest diversity of wildlife

Community Principles

4. Species survival depends on maintaining minimum (viable) population levels

5. Low intensity land management sustains more species and costs less than high intensity mgt.

Bighorn sheep

A. clear-cutting

B. New proposedPractices –structural diversity

Logging & New Forestry Practice

Metapopulation

SourceSink

Existing Forest Cover by Region in Thailand, 1961-2000

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

1961

1976

1982

1988

1991

1995

2000

Year

% o

f tot

al c

ount

ry

area

NorthEastNortheastCentralSouthTotal

Deforestation in Thailand

Scale 1:50K - 33.2%

Scale 1:250K- 25.3%

Mangrove: lost 51% (‘61-’89)

Human• Dredging• Urban development• Water pollution• Mariculture

(Shrimp farm)

Natural•Hurricane•Tsunami

Causes of Deforestation

Remote Sensing

“Science and art of obtaining information about an object,area, or phenomenonthrough the analysis of data acquired by a device that isnot in contact with the object, area, or phenomenon under investigation”

Geo-informatics – 3-S TechnologiesFor Monitoring Mangrove Forest

Geographic System Information: GIS

A computer system capable of holding and using describing places of the earth’s surface

+

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A satellite-based system that provides locationalinformation anytime, anywhere.

• Space component• Control component• User component

0.0500.0

1,000.01,500.02,000.02,500.03,000.03,500.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Year

Sq.k

m

Central East Peninsula-East Peninsula-West Total

24421676168716181806196428733125Total

17661329133813381422147817821917

Peninsula-West

328166164164171196338355Peninsula

-East

227127130111207280441490East

12154544610312363Central

20001996199319911989198619791975Region

Source: DNP (2000)

Monitoring Mangrove ForestArea in km2

Geo-informatics Application for Landscape Restoration1. Landscape modeling for Everglades Ecosystem

Restoration (DeAngelis et al., 1998) Ecosystem

2. Modeling the suitability of potential wetland mitigation sites with a geographic information system (Lonkhuyzen et al., 2004) Env. Mgt.

3. A landscape connectivity index for assessing desertification: a case study of Minqin Country, China (Sun et al., 2006) Landscape Ecology

Translating Theories to PracticesRestoring Degraded Mangrove

Forest, Chataburi Province

1975

1990

Fringe Mangrove

Riverine Mangrove

• Basin mangrove• Dwarf (or scrub)

mangrove

Classification of Mangroves

GIS layers (potential site)• Simple landform• Hydrology (tidal)• Soils,• Historical condition• Vegetation/land use• Adjacent mangrove• Prox. to stream/coast

Ecological factors• Geomorphology• Climate• Tidal• Current• Salinity• Oxygen• Soil (mud)• Nutrient

Think Globally & Act Locally

Prof. Sanit A.

Develop GIS Database

Convert Vector to Raster

Spatial Analysis Function

Map Reclassify/Coding

Map Calculate

Map Reclassify

Processes of Grid-Based Modeling

ArcView 3.2 &Spatial Analyst

Define Objectives

MAP OUTPUT

Weighted Geometric Analysis

Suit. = (∑ SIiwi) 1/∑wi

WhereSIi = Suitability index score for variable I

(0.00 – 1.00)

wi = Weight given to variable i(1 – 3)

Experts judgments

Map Overlay & Map Calculation

Topography (Land form) (weight = 3)

• Flat (0-5%) 1.00• Undulating (5-15%) 0.75• Rolling (15-30%) 0.25• Steep (>30%) 0.10

Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

0.10Upland

0.25Inundated by spring tide or

equinoctial tide (4-5 m)

0.50Inundated by normal high tide (3-4 m)

0.75Inundated by medium tide (2 - 3 m)

1.00Inundated by all high tide (<2.0 m)

SuitType (Weight = 3)Hydroperiod

Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

Soil (hydric soil)

0.25Non-hydric soil

1.00Hydric soil

SuitSoil Type (Weight = 3)

Source: Soil map(1:100,000)

0.50Present miscellaneous

0.25Non-mangrove

1.00Historic mangrove

SuitHistotical Cond. (Weight = 3)

Historical condition

Sources: Previous& presentforest type map(1:50,000)

Vegetation cover/land use (weight = 1)• Building 0.00• Water 0.00• Forest 0.00• Tree crop 0.10• Rice paddy 0.25• Shrimp f. 0.50• Disturbed f./grass 1.00

• Bush/shrub 0.75

Source: LDD Land Use map (1:50,000)

Source: Present forest type map (1:50,000)

Proximity to mangrove (weight = 2)• < 0.25 km 1.00• 0.25 – 0.5 km 0.75• 0.5 - 1.0 km 0.50• 1.0-2.0 km 0.25• > 2.0 km 0.10

Source: Present forest type map (1:50,000)

Proximity to coastline (weight = 1)• > 3 km 0.1• 1.0-3.0 km 0.25• 0.5 -1.0 km0.75• < 0.5 km 1.00

Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

Proximity to river (weight = 2)• > 2.00 km 0.1• 1.00 – 2.00 km 0.25• 0.50 – 1.00 km 0.5• 0.25 – 0.50 km 0.75• < 0.25 km 1.00

Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

Mean = 0.58SD = 0.28

05000

10000150002000025000

3000035000

40000

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

Suit. score

Cou

n

Accumulated Scores

Potential Suitable Site

Conclusions

Ecological restoration: aim to re-establishing the self-sustaining ecosystem and to repair the ecosystems (restoration/rehabilitation/ reclamation).

Natural landscape restoration is essential to attract and re-establish native taxa/ communities within the areas, and to linkthe fragmented forest patches using spatial and community principles.

Geo-informatics is of an important and power tool to capture and translate (some) theories into practices on human dominant landscape.

The potential suitability map should be Refined/balanced:• site modification/species• project cost (Dr. Piti)• avoid conflicts, etc.

Recommended Readings

1. Harker, D., Evans, S., Evans M., and Haeker, K. 1999. Landscape Restoration Handbook (2nd Ed.)Lewis Publishers, London.

2. Theobald, D.M. 2005. GIS Concepts and ArcGISMethods (2nd Ed.). Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., Colorado.

THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTIONFOR YOUR ATTENTION

Comments and Discussion!