Application of Remote Sensing in Mangroves at the Surrounding of Sungai Selangor Estuary in Kuala Selangor

Abstract

The mangrove forest ecosystem protects the land area from the tidal wave hence preventing the coastal areas and properties from severe damage. Mangroves provide valuable ecological services and goods, sediment retention, food sources of some animals, and stabilisation of the coastal areas. Unfortunately, the species have been experiencing an extensive loss in many parts of the world. This paper aims to detect the changes in mangrove forests and possible changes in the Selangor river basin area. The methodology uses remote sensing data via supervised classification on a maximum likelihood algorithm to analyse the distribution of mangrove forests at the Selangor River basin for a thirty-two-year period, from 1989 to 2021. The findings indicate that the percentage of mangroves in the study area has reduced over the study period. The coverage of mangroves has reduced from 24.29 percent (1989) to 15.57 percent in 2008, and continued to reduce to 13.12 percent in 2021. The research finding indicates a decrease in mangroves due to aquaculture, tourism, agriculture, and other human activities. Such a trend may risk coastal and river erosion, thus necessitating a revision of the management policies for environmental protection.
 Keywords: mangrove, forest, remote sensing, Selangor river basin