Using landsat 8 data and gis to estimate above ground biomass and carbon stocks of coastal mangroves in xuanthuy national park, nam dinh province

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM FORESTRYUNIVERSITY STUDENT THESIS Title USING LANDSAT DATA AND GIS TO ESTIMATE ABOVE-GROUND BIOMASS AND CARBON STOCKS OF COASTAL MANGROVES IN XUANTHUY NATIONAL PARK, NAM DINH PROVINCE Major: Natural resource management Faculty: Forest resource and environmental management Student: Nguyen Dinh Quang Tuan Class: K57 Natural resource management Student ID: 1253100989 Course: 2012 – 2016 Advanced Education Program Developed in collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Dr Nguyen Hai Hoa Hanoi, 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT With the consent of the Vietnam National University of Forestry, Faculty of Forest resources and Environmental Management, the study caried out the study of“Using Landsat data and GIS to estimate above-ground biomass and carbon stocks of coastal mangroves in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh province” On the occasion of completing this scientific research, I would like to express deep gratitude to Dr Hai- Hoa Nguyen who has guided and helped me in the process of the implementation and the completion of this study I sincerely thank teachers in Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management for the encouragements and suggestions and for helping me to improve the quality of my study I would also like to express our gratitude to the staff and local people in XuanThuy National Park communes for the enthusiastic help during my works Due to the limited knowledge and experiences, this report is not finalized yet I‟m looking forward to receiving feedback from teachers and friends to improve this scientific research Ha Noi: 01 November ABSTRACT The Vietnam mangroves have been larger and rich and they play an important role for forest ecosystems, biodiversity and local livelihoods and development However, the management of mangroves in Vietnam is still facing many challenges The process of transition to market economy under reform policy has brought high economic growth from to 8% in the first years of the twenty-first century with the changes in livelihood patterns Vietnam faces big challenges of environmental problems as a result of overfishing, mismanagement of natural resources and the pressures of globalization The changes in the social, ecological, economic and institutional schemes gave the livelihood systems of mangroves increasingly complex and vulnerable To contribute develop sustainable management of coastal mangroves, the study of “Using Landsat data and GIS to estimate above-ground biomass and carbon stocks of coastal mangroves in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh province” was conducted The study is based on using NDVI values to identify the distribution of mangroves, apply formula of scientific research to calculate total of above- ground biomass and then calculate the carbon stocks of mangroves in XuanThuy National Park Thereby we can make recommendations for the conservation and management of mangrove forests more efficiently ACRONYMS ABBREVIATION GPS: Global Positioning System GIS: Geographic Information System NDVI: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index IPCC (2016): Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change RS: Remote-Sensing TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT ACRONYMS LIST OF TABLE AND DIAGRAM LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Overview of mangroves coastal 2.1.1 Roles and function of coastal significance 2.2 Mangroves biomass and carbon stock in worldwide 2.2.1 Mangroves biomass in the world 2.2.1 Mangroves biomass in Vietnam: 2.3 Application of GIS and Remote sensing to estimate mangrove biomass and carbon stock 10 CHAPTER III GOAL, OBJECTIVES, CONTENT AND METHODOLOGY 14 3.1 Goal and objectives 14 3.1.1 Overall goal 14 3.1.2 Specific objectives 14 3.2 Scope and framework of study 14 3.3.1 Examining the status of mangroves and management schemes in XuanThuy National park, Nam Dinh province 14 3.3.2 Quantifying spatial distribution of mangrove extents in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh province 15 3.3.3 Thematic map of mangroves extent and quantification of carbon stock and biomass 15 3.3.4 Proposing solutions to improve the management of mangrove in XuanThuy National park 15 3.4: Methods 15 3.4.1 Examining the status of coastal mangrove management in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh Province 15 3.4.2 Quantifying spatial distribution of mangrove extents in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh province 16 3.4.3 Thematic map of mangroves extent and quantification of carbon stock and biomass 18 3.4.3.1 Mapping status and distribution of mangroves in 2015: 18 3.4.4 Proposing solutions to improve the management of mangrove forests in XuanThuy National park 22 CHAPTER IV STUDY SITE, NATURAL AND SOCIAL FEATURE 22 4.1 Study area 22 4.1.1 Natural characteristics 23 4.1.2 Resource development 25 4.2 Socio-economic conditions 28 4.2.1 Population 28 4.2.2 Economy 28 CHAPTER V RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 31 5.1 Mangrove structures and its management in study sites 31 5.1.1 Mangrove structures 31 5.1.2 Mangrove management 33 5.2 Spatial distribution of coastal mangroves in XuanThuy National Park 34 5.3 Thematic map of mangroves extent and quantification of carbon stock and biomass 38 5.4 Effective measures to improve the management of mangroves 40 CHAPTER VI GENERAL CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER STUDY 43 6.1 General conclusion 43 6.2 Limitations and further study 44 REFERENCE APPENDIX LIST OF TABLE AND DIAGRAM table 2.1 About wood density of tree in mangrove forest table 3.1.Landsat and sentinel data used in the study 16 table 3.2 Sampling of data collection form 18 diagram 3.3 Methods of constructing mangrove maps using ndvi 19 table 5.1 Plots information and mangrove characteristics in study site 32 table 5.2 Assessing accuracy of classified map(landsat 8) 37 table 5.3 Total area of mangroves by using ndvi 38 LIST OF FIGURES Fig 3.1 Layout of sampling plot and subplots this study 17 Fig 4.1 Study site (national park management, 2016) 24 Fig 5.1 Spatial distribution of mangroves using ndvi 35 Fig 5.2 Spatial distribution of mangrove extents in xuanthuy nation park 2016 (landsat 82016) 36 Fig 5.3: Spatial distribution of mangrove extents in xuanthuy national park in 2016 (sentinel) 37 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Vietnam has more than 3200 km of coastline, a lot of estuaries With a developing country, the existence of the mangroves ecosystem has a very important significance The mangroves contribute to fighting natural disasters, flooding, environmental protection of coastal areas, climate regulation and development economic and social of the country Mangroves imbibe a lot of CO2 by industrial activities and daily life discharge and they produce a lot of oxygen and make the air clean As effects of climate changeViet Nam is one of the most affected countries from rising sea levels and the continuous storms which have caused severe damage to people and assets The mangroves have been known not only as “green lung” but also as “soft andgreen bioshield” to reduce the effects of wind and wave attacks Mangroves bring huge economic values and provide many products for human such aswoods, building materials, sea foods and medicine XuanThuy National Park is located at the estuary of the Red River in Nam Dinh province, about 150 km south-east of Hanoi, Vietnam The area was declared the country‟s first Ramsar site by the Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in January 1989 Since then, the Government of Vietnam has worked very hard to preserve the value of this area through the establishment of new laws, policies and investments In 2003, it was upgraded from its status as a nature reserve and approved as a national park by the Prime Minister, and was also included as part of the Red River Delta World Biosphere Heritage Site by UNESCO in October 2004 Xuan Thuy National Park is a vast wetland, which covers an area of about 7,100 hectares of the core zone, and 8,000 hectares of the buffer zone Endowed with rich alluviums, the park boasts a unique wetland habitat with diversified species of flora and fauna, especially migratory birds Besides, human activities, natural changes caused by sedimentation, water flow, climate change and sea level rise, are contributory factors adding more pressure and concern for XuanThuy National Park management board in terms of fulfilling their mandates as a national park and a Ramsar site Consequently, XuanThuy has faced with various environmental and social issues that are threatening the sustainable use of resources and habitat for waterfowl Three major issues in XuanThuy National Park were identified in the strategic plan (2008), including (I) Negative changes and degradation of natural resources (II) Unsustainable livelihood practices of local communities, and (III) Limited capacity of concerned institutions in wetlands management Though many problems are the results of external factors that the local have no or low control over, like global climate change, pollutants from upstream of Red River and National Laws, among others, local partners of the XuanThuy National Park Network has acknowledged the fundamental issues that link directly to limited awareness and capacity of local authorities and communities Protecting and regenerating mangroves in coastal regions have becoming an extremely important task of the Government, local authorities, organizations and individuals The coastal mangroves extents of XuanThuy district, Nam Dinh province is not out of this trend Although, XuanThuy has been considered as a Ramsar site found only Vietnam, but the capital investment for the region is very relatively low with poor infrastructure, lack of equipment, the training of staff limitations From these difficulties, the management of protected areas has not been effective and thus not meeting the conservation of biodiversity Mangroves are one of the most important resources of Nam Dinh province, and in the development process, as well as one of the forest resources are threatened the most havoc In recent years, efforts to protect forests in the province of Nam Dinh has many remarkable results, the XuanThuy commune had set up a specialized forest protection task force with members and some equipment Realizing the impact of tides and storms, Nam Dinh province has launched hundreds of mangroves plantation campaign to counter typhoons Fig 5.2.Spatial distribution of mangrove extents in XuanThuy National Park 2016 (Landsat 8,2016) Accuracy assessment: This study used the Sentinel image (10m x 10m) to compare with Landsat for accuracy assessments purpose as shown in Fig 5.3 36 Fig 5.3: Spatial distribution of mangrove extents in XuanThuy National Park in 2016 (Sentinel image 2016) Results showed that there is no much difference between Landsat and Sentinel image about spatial distribution of mangroves However, Landsat results completely trustworthy Assessing accuracy of classified map To assess the accuracy of the training samples for classifying coastal mangroves, this study uses the same set of test data points on the field in the different sample and different objects in the study area, identified by GPS Then comparing actual image with classified image, which evaluated the accuracy of the Landsat image interpretation methods The training samples for distribution mangroves accuracy of the final results were evaluated based on field investigation results, as follows: Table 5.2 Assessing accuracy of classified map(Landsat 8) 37 Samplings by GPS Bare and Mangroves Water Total Accuracy(%) Wet Soil Classifed map by GPS Mangroves 33 40 82.5 Bare and Wet Soil 35 40 87.5 Water 38 40 95 Total 40 38 42 120 88.3 As indicated that: the accuracy of classified map in 2015 is 88.3% It is high accuracy, but still has errors The reason may be due to error when selecting the classification model or some others such as turbulence spectrum of the image, the effects of angle photography, the shaded topography cannot be removed all of the image processing However, training samples for classifying coastal mangroves can be used in the analysis and image interpretation in these areas and could be applied to other similar coastal features of mangroves in Vietnam 5.3 Quantifying above-ground biomass and carbon stocks As the result of field survey showed that there were three main mangrove species identified, namely Kandelia obovata and Aegiceras corniculatum, Onneratia caseolaris (in which, Kandelia obovata is the dominant species) In this study, we chose Kandelia obovata as mangroves represent species for calculating biomass and carbon, because they are dominant Calculate biomass and Carbon in Xuan Thuy National park: The study calculate mangroves biomass base on the value of mangroves extents as shown in Table 5.3 Table 5.3 Total area of mangroves by using NDVI 38 Area (ha) Mangroves 1909.62 Non- Mangroves 7758.81 Base on the result of plot investigation the structures of mangroves were measured, results were then: As below: D01=2.8(cm) equivalent to 0.028 (m) (1) H = 3.82 (m) (2) Based on formula calculate biomass of Kandelia Obovata by professor MdNabiul Islam Khan.(2009) Study has a formula: Biomass of Kandelia obovata = 3,203x 10-2 (D20.1 x H)1.058 (5.1) D20.1: Distance from stump to position measured is: 10cm H: Height Equation (5.1): AGB KadeliaObovata = 3,203x10-2(0.0282x3.82)1.058= 0.684x10-5(kg/tree)(5.2) The result after investigate showed that in general in one plot the study made have 240 species of Kandelia Obovata AGB in plot = 0.684x10-5 x 240 x x10000 = 65.66 (ton/ha) Therefore: AGB in XuanThuy national park = 65.66 x1909.62=125344.94(ton) 39 Study used a formula of carbon stock developed by IPCC-2016 as shown: Carbon= Biomass x 0.47 As a results total Carbon of Kandeliaobovata in XuanThuy- Nam Dinh is: 125344.94 x 0.47 =58.912.12 (ton/ha) - Biomass of mangrove forests in Xuan Thuy is higher than the results of several studies published (Saenger, 2002; Komiyama et al., 2008; Alongi, 2009) However, some places have little value biomass, because biomass depends on the size of the tree In general, the biomass of mangrove forests in Xuan Thuy National Park is average - Many studies have been published focusing on the high forest trees However, the collection of data for many objects in Xuan Thuy NationalPark mangroves include young forest, a forest of trees cut down and the barren forest areas can make forest biomass decreased in comparison with data was announced 5.4 Effective measures to improve the management of mangroves Mangroves have plentiful play an important role for good and services They are among the most carbon rich habitats on the planet and have double the living biomass of tropical forests overall on average Therefore, solutions for mangrove protection to government and local people should be applied Based on the survey process and results, the study draw some solutions as follows Improvement of REDD+ program for mangrove forests Policies of government in payment environmental services (PES) and the mechanisms of (REDD+) distribute sustainable forest management and reduce the impacts of climate change 40 The mechanisms of (REDD+): Forest carbon sequestration services are tied in with reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+), for which the government has approved a national action plan as the basis for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forestry Policies of payment environmental services (PES): The basic idea of “payments for environmental services”, or PES is to create incentives for local people to protect environmental services by compensating them for any costs incurred in managing and providing those services In 2004, the government of Vietnam, drawing on the concept of PES, laid the foundations for a nationwide program of Payments for Forest Environmental Services (PFES), set out in the revised Forest Protection and Development Law Enhancement of communication channels Need to strengthen propaganda on the mass media: newspapers, radio and television for information on climate change, impacts of climate change, the role of mangrove forests and coastal protection forest in mitigating coastal erosion and other damage caused by extreme natural disasters There should be a training of specialized staff, organizing training courses for social units in the area of construction methods and deployment models coastal livelihoods to improve people's incomes to contribute mangroves to the cause of protection and development of mangroves Education and training activities should be applied such as seminars on issues related to mangroves, specialized staff training, organizing training courses for social units in the method of construction and deployment of coastal livelihoods model to improve the income of the people of mangroves to contribute to the protection and development of mangroves Socio-economic solutions 41 There is a need to make some clear and transparent regulation and rule on the issue of indiscriminate exploitation, deforestation and excessive feed for aquaculture: today, many mangrove forests have been replaced by aqua dress production, this is a model of economic development is very good, but due to the overuse led to a decline in forest cover State needs tougher in forest land allocation combines economic development Offer limited to mining licenses, as well as developing aquaculture seafood The results from the study in Giao Thuy (Nam Dinh) showed that local people in the area use mangrove fisheries in meals 20-30 times per month, and the average income of the local population is 35-40 million per year Local people depend on mangroves, therefore government need to have policy to encourage people protect mangroves 42 CHAPTER VI GENERAL CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER STUDY 6.1 General conclusion Mangroves have vast area and plentiful play an important role for local livelihoods and national development However, the management of mangroves in Vietnam is still facing many challenges not only technically but also on social issues, economic and institutional Based on the implementation process and results, subject to draw some conclusions as follows: - Through satellite imagery, Landsat data, forest status map of 2016?, maps of forest ecosystems in 2016?, along with GIS and Remote Sensing Technology have built a map vegetation index (NDVI) From forecasting changes to biodiversity at XuanThuy National Park by the external environment and the impact humans Proposed a number of measures contributing to the protection, management and sustainable development of ecosystems of coastal mangroves - Determine the values of AVB and carbon stock of mangroves from that propose a number of measures contributing to the protection, management and sustainable development of mangrove ecosystems - By investigating the status of coastal mangrove and management schemes in XuanThuy National Park, Nam Dinh province, the study suggests the combination of policies and social livelihood development will enhance the effectiveness of coastal mangrove management in study areas Continue interested implement solutions to improve the lives of people in the buffer zone and share the benefits from the resources of wetlands 43 - For conservation and wise use of wetlands is important, some recommend to deploy the following priority actions that is implementation planning XuanThuy National Park towards the partition of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources Implement monitoring program of biodiversity at XuanThuy National Park to develop a database on biodiversity and the timely identification of problems of biodiversity of the park Strengthening the management of national parks management 6.2 Limitations and further study Although it has achieved some significant results, study still remains shortcomings The scope of study is quite large, some coastal areas with mangroves could be missing To overcome the shortcomings and achieve better results, further studies should be conducted: Firstly, a number of sampling points should be increased for enhancing the accuracy of image classifications In addition, future study should use higher spatial resolution images for mangrove change mapping Other matters such as bare soil, other plants should be taken into account when classifying mangroves For drivers of mangrove change and policy, social drivers of mangrove changes should be further examined in relation to mangrove management, such as impacts of financial policies and land use planning 44 REFERENCE Kuimi T Vashum and S Jayakumar (2012) :“Methods to Estimate Above-Ground Biomass and Carbon Stock in Natural Forests” Gibbs (2007) “Healthy forests sequester and store more carbon compared to any other terrestrial ecosystem and are considered to be an important natural brake on climate change” GIS.com.vn: “Các số thực vật Viễn Thám” Yong Manko Wetland (2009): “Biomass and aboveground net primary production in a subtropical mangrove stand of Kandelia obovata” el al Phutchard Vicharnakorn (2014): “Carbon Stock Assessment Using Remote Sensing and Forest Inventory Data in Savannakhet, Lao PDR” Ban quản lý khu bảo tồn Thần Sa (2007): “Xây dựng đồ trạng cacbon rừng khu bảo tồn thần sa, khu vực xã nghinh tường, huyện võ nhai, tỉnh thái nguyên” Rafiqul Hoque (2011).“Above and Belowground Carbon Acquisition of Mangrove Kandelia obovata Trees in Manko Wetland, Okinawa, Japan” Sandro Federici (2011)“General methods for estimating stock changes in carbon pools” Wikimedia:“Information about Normalized Difference Vegetation Index” 10 John A Dutton (2014):“Indices and Band Ratios” 11 Nguyen Thi Bich Huong, Hanoi, 2012"Application of Remote Sensing and GIS thematic mapping service integrated coastal management in Thanh Hoa province" 12 Jiraporn Kongwongjan (2012) “Comparison of vegetation indices for mangrove mapping using THEOS data” 13 Khairul Azwan Mohamad (2011) “Assessment of mangrove vegetation based on remote sensing and ground-truth measurements at Tumpat, Kelantan Delta, East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia” APPENDIX: Field work Photo 1: Core area of national parks Photo 2: Plot area in core zone of national park Photo 3: Aquaculture areas in the core zone Photo 4.Sonneratia caseolaris (L.) Engl Photo Aegiceras corniculata (L.) Blanco