This document proposes a methodology framework for restoring natural mangrove diversity using geo-informatics. It begins by defining ecological restoration, rehabilitation, and reclamation. It then discusses landscape ecology concepts and the importance of restoring natural landscapes. Next, it reviews the decline of mangrove forests in Thailand due to human and natural causes. Finally, it presents a conceptual framework for applying geo-informatics tools like remote sensing, GIS and GPS to monitor mangrove forests and identify suitable sites for restoration based on ecological factors that can be represented as spatial data layers. The goal is to emulate the structure, function and dynamics of the original mangrove ecosystem.

1. APPLICATION OF GEO-INFORMATICS FOR
RESTORING NATURAL MANGROVE DIVERSITY:
A METHODOLOGY FRAMEWORK
Yongyut TRISURAT
Department of Forest Biology
Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University
Bangkok, Thailand
http://pirun.ku.ac.th/~fforyyt

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

3. 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 repair
the ecosystems following natural or human
disturbance
Restoration
Rehabilitation
Reallocation/Reclamation

4. Pathways for Ecosystem Repair
Vesa Kaarakka (2006)

5. Restoration:
To emulate the structure, function, diversity
and dynamics of the specified ecosystem.

6. 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).

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

8. Relationship b/w Ecosystem Attributes
and Restoration Processes

9. Ecosystem Attributes & Ambition
Attributes Reclam. Rehab. Restor.
Characteristic assemblage of species - - +
Indigenous species - - +
All functional tropic groups - - +
Normal functioning of cycles - + +
Appropriate physical environment + + +
Integrated into a larger landscape + + -
External threats eliminated or reduced + + -
Resilience to perturbation (disturbance) + + -
Self-sustaining + - -
+ Suitable; - Not suitable

10. 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 a
specific of ecological, cultural and socio-
economic characteristics distinct from its
neighbors.

11. Types of Landscape

12. Landscape Pattern

13. 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

14. 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 truly
understand relationships and individual
species (man-made vs natural)
• To ensure that the requirements of individual
species are met.

15. How to Restore Natural Landscape?
Landscape Restoration
Handbook:
Principles and Guidelines
(Harker et al., 1999)
• Spatial principles
• Community principles

16. Spatial Principles
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 Species – area curve

17. 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

18. Habitat Fragmentation & Shape
Fragmentation

19. Spatial Principles
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

20. Community Principles
1. Full restoration of native plant
communities sustains divers wildlife
populations
2. An increase in the structural diversity
of vegetation increase species diversity
3. A high diversity of plant species
assures a year-round food supply for the
greatest diversity of wildlife

21. 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

22. Metapopulation
A. clear-cutting
B. New proposed
Practices –
structural diversity
Sink Source
Logging & New Forestry Practice

23. Deforestation in Thailand
Existing Forest Cover by Region
in Thailand, 1961-2000
80.00
% of total country
60.00 North
area
East
40.00
Northeast
20.00
Central
0.00
South
61
76
82
88
91
95
00
Total
19
19
19
19
19
19
20 Year

24. Scale 1:50K
- 33.2%
Scale 1:250K
- 25.3%
Mangrove: lost 51% (‘61-’89)

25. Causes of Deforestation
Human
• Dredging
• Urban development
• Water pollution
• Mariculture
(Shrimp farm)
Natural
•Hurricane
•Tsunami

26. Geo-informatics – 3-S Technologies
For Monitoring Mangrove Forest
Remote Sensing
“Science and art of obtaining
information about an object,
area, or phenomenon
through the analysis of data
acquired by a device that is
not in contact with the
object, area, or phenomenon
under investigation”

27. Geographic System
Information: GIS
A computer system
capable of holding and
using describing places
of the earth’s surface

28. Global Positioning
System (GPS)
A satellite-based system +
that provides locational
information anytime,
anywhere.
• Space component
• Control component
• User component

29. Monitoring Mangrove Forest
Area in km2
Region 1975 1979 1986 1989 1991 1993 1996 2000
363 312 10 6 4 54 54 121
Central
490 441 280 207 111 130 127 227
East
Peninsula
355 338 196 171 164 164 166 328
-East
Peninsula
-
1917 1782 1478 1422 1338 1338 1329 1766
West
3125 2873 1964 1806 1618 1687 1676 2442
Total
Source: DNP (2000)
3,500.0
3,000.0
2,500.0
Sq.km
2,000.0
1,500.0
1,000.0
500.0
0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year
Central East Peninsula-East Peninsula-West Total

30. Geo-informatics Application
for Landscape Restoration
1. 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

31. Translating Theories to Practices
Restoring Degraded Mangrove
Forest, Chataburi Province
1975
1990

32. Classification of Mangroves
Fringe Mangrove
Riverine Mangrove
• Basin mangrove
• Dwarf (or scrub)
mangrove

33. Think Globally & Act Locally
Ecological factors GIS layers
• Geomorphology (potential site)
• Climate • Simple landform
• Hydrology (tidal)
• Tidal
• Soils,
• Current
• Historical condition
• Salinity
• Vegetation/land use
• Oxygen
• Adjacent mangrove
• Soil (mud)
• Prox. to stream/coast
• Nutrient
Prof. Sanit A.

34. Define Objectives
Processes of
Grid-Based Modeling Develop GIS Database
ArcView 3.2 & Convert Vector to Raster
Spatial Analyst
Spatial Analysis Function
Map Reclassify/Coding
Map Calculate
MAP OUTPUT Map Reclassify

35. Weighted Geometric Analysis
wi) 1/∑wi
Suit. = (∑ SIi
Where
SIi = Suitability index score for variable I
(0.00 – 1.00)
wi = Weight given to variable i
(1 – 3)
Experts judgments

36. Map Overlay & Map Calculation

37. 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)

38. Hydroperiod
Type (Weight = 3) Suit
Inundated by all high tide
(<2.0 m) 1.00
Inundated by medium tide
(2 - 3 m) 0.75
Inundated by normal high
tide (3-4 m) 0.50
Inundated by spring tide or
equinoctial tide (4-5 m) 0.25
0.10
Upland
Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

39. Soil (hydric soil)
Soil Type (Weight = 3) Suit
Hydric soil 1.00
Non-hydric soil 0.25
Source: Soil map
(1:100,000)

40. Historical condition
Histotical Cond.
(Weight = 3) Suit
Historic mangrove 1.00
Present miscellaneous 0.50
Non-mangrove 0.25
Sources: Previous& present
forest type map
(1:50,000)

41. 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: Present forest type map
Source: LDD Land Use map
(1:50,000)
(1:50,000)

42. 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)

43. Proximity to coastline (weight = 1)
• > 3 km 0.1
• 1.0-3.0 km 0.25
• 0.5 -1.0 km 0.75
• < 0.5 km 1.00
Source: Topo. map (1:50,000)

44. 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)

45. Accumulated Scores
40000
35000
30000
25000
Coun
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Suit. score
Mean = 0.58
SD = 0.28

46. Potential Suitable Site

47. 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 link
the fragmented forest patches using
spatial and community principles.

48. 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.

49. 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 ArcGIS
Methods (2nd Ed.). Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Inc., Colorado.

50. Comments and Discussion!
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION