Evaluating mangroves of Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary in relation to the general status of mangroves in Andhra Pradesh, India

摘要

The present study was carried out to check whether there is a decline in mangrove cover of Andhra Pradesh state, India, as cited by a few studies. The research analysed mangrove dynamics of Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary of Andhra Pradesh state, using temporal satellite data of six periods. Analysis of these data showed major changes in the mangrove areas of the sanctuary. In 1972, the mangrove cover was 82.76 km~2, which then decreased to 80.47 km~2 in 1981, and then further dropped to 69.52 km~2 in 1990. Comparatively an area of 13.22 km~2 was lost from 1972 to 1990. The area recorded in 2000 was 101.98 km~2 and the positive trend of increase in mangrove areas was observed in both 2009 (138.36 km~2) and in 2014 (158.16 km~2). Overall, an increase of 88.64 km~2 mangrove area was observed from 1990 to 2014. The study confirms the increase in mangrove cover in the state, disagreeing with the observations of decrease in mangrove cover made by other studies previously.