Investigation of quantitative changes in mangrove forests in Iran Using Remote Sensing (Case Study: Gwadar Bay, Sistan and Baluchestan Province)

Gwadar Bay is located in the southwest of Iran along the coast of Sistan and Baluchestan province. This bay is about 435 km2, that about 40% of which is in Iran and the rest belongs to Pakistan. The presence of mangrove forests in Gwadar inlet and Bahu Kalat inlet in the Gwadar Bay region is one of the important capabilities of the province. These forests are unique habitats for a large number of organisms and they are of great economic importance. The purpose of the present research is to investigate the quantitative changes of mangrove forests and Gwadar Bay. To this aim, satellite images of TM and IRS during the years 1366 and 1387 were used. First, the visualization and landing operations were performed, and then the floor screening of images and detection of forests were carried out through Supervised Classification method. Finally, the forest area was calculated and processed during the years and analyzed. The results showed that the quantitative condition of mangrove forests in Gwadar Bay during the statistical period (1366-1896) was ascending and the size of forests increased from 384 hectares in 1366 to 607 hectares in 2008. The increased area is visible in both Gwadar inlet and Bahu Kalat inlet.

کلیدواژه ها:

Remote Sensing ، Geographic Information System ، Mangrove Forests ، Gwadar Bay ، Sistan and Baluchestan