Mangroves Suitability using Remote Sensing

The Problem

Mangrove restoration cannot rely on planting alone.

Different coastal areas have different environmental conditions, levels of exposure, and human pressures. Without understanding these spatial differences, restoration efforts can be placed in locations where mangroves are less likely to survive or where existing ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable.

The challenge was to answer two questions:

Where are mangroves suitable for restoration, and where are they most vulnerable?

Method

Remote sensing and GIS were used to build spatial indicators representing the environmental conditions affecting mangrove growth and vulnerability.

Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), each criterion was weighted according to its relative importance. The weighted layers were combined through GIS suitability analysis to produce:

Suitability Map — identifies areas with favorable conditions for mangrove establishment or restoration.

Vulnerability Map — identifies existing or potential mangrove areas exposed to environmental and human pressures.

The two outputs were then crossed over to understand where suitability and vulnerability overlap.

This made it possible to distinguish areas that are suitable but relatively stable from areas that are both highly suitable and highly vulnerable.

Why

A single suitability map only shows where mangroves could grow.

Adding vulnerability provides another layer of decision-making: where intervention may be needed most.

Combining both perspectives helps planners move from simply identifying possible planting areas toward prioritizing locations based on environmental conditions and existing pressures.

Solution

The final output was a spatial decision-support approach for mangrove restoration and conservation.

By combining Remote Sensing + GIS + AHP + Suitability/Vulnerability Analysis, the project translated multiple environmental datasets into clear priority areas that could support restoration planning, conservation, and field validation.