Application of Geospatial Tools to Monitor Change in a Micro-Tidal Estuary for the Purpose of Management Planning

The sustainable management of wetlands requires up-to-date inventory and regular monitoring. Also, the understanding of change dynamics and response of these ecosystems to natural and social pressures provides information and impetus for conservation planning. Earth observation data and geospatial tools have immense potential for developing integrated geospatial models/methods for wetland mapping and change analysis. The present study in a coastal wetland system in Sri Lanka describes an approach to mapping and monitoring of change using a combination of multi-spectral and temporal remote sensing data and the IDRISI-Land Change Modeller (LCM). Socioeconomic data and ancillary details were integrated at different levels of analysis for refinement and validation. A multi-level analysis reflects the present status and highlights the trends of wetland use in the landscape. Along with the participation of the Sri Lanka Environmental Authority (CEA) the biophysical analysis and the socioeconomic components were inter-linked wherein the spatial and the social information are qualitatively and quantitatively integrated to understand the dynamics of change in the micro-tidal estuary. Keywords: Geospatial, socioeconomic, wetland, sustainable, IDRISI-Andes, micro-tidal estuary doi: 10.4038/cjsbs.v37i1.497 Cey. J. Sci. (Bio. Sci.) 37 (1): 73-86, 2008