The

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The colour of remotely sensed and GIS data in
the sustainable management oftropical coastal
biocomplexity

• Farid Dahdouh-Guebas Nico Koedam
•  Laboratory of General Botany and Nature
  Management,
• Mangrove Management Group, Vrije Universiteit
  Brussel,
• Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

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Tropical Coastal Biocomplexity

• MANGROVE FORESTS

SEAGRASS BEDS
overall relevance biodiversity coastal
protection wood and fishery resource
ecosystem functioning
CORAL REEFS
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The colour
remote sensing as a monitoring tool from historic
aerial photography to VHR satellite imagery GIS
as an analysis tool
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Remote sensing and GIS in thesustainable
managementof tropical coastal ecosystems
8 papers covering tropical coastal areas in
Venezuela, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Malaysia
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Resolutions spatial temporal spectral (radiometr
ic) (taxonomic)
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Identification of species/genera (LK)
tonality texture structure
shape shade size position
Verheyden, A., F. Dahdouh-Guebas, K. Thomaes, W.
De Genst, S. Hettiarachchi N. Koedam,
2002. High resolution vegetation data for
mangrove research as obtained from aerial
photography.
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Vegetation structure dynamics (LK)
1956
1974
1994
Dahdouh-Guebas, F., A. Verheyden, W. De Genst, S.
Hettiarachchi N. Koedam, 2000. Four decade
vegetation dynamics in Sri Lankan mangroves as
detected from sequential aerial photography a
case-study in Galle. Bulletin of Marine Science
67(2) 741-759.
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Identification of species (LK-KE)
IKONOS satellite imagery
aerial photography
panchromatic
pansharpened BGNIR false colour composite

• new space technology (Ikonos, Quickbird)
• automated identification
• extra temporal window

2002
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Monitoring coastal changes (VE)
Calzadilla Pérez, A., M.C.J. Damen, D. Geneletti
T. Hobma, 2002. Monitoring a recent delta
formation in a tropical coastal wetland using
remote sensing and GIS. Case study Guapo River
Delta, Laguna de Tacarigua, Venezuela.
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Typification of assemblages/ land cover (KE)
Kairo, J.G., B. Kivyatu N. Koedam, 2002.
Application of remote sensing and GIS in the
management of mangrove forests within and
adjacent to Kiunga Marine Protected Area, Lamu,
Kenya.
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Typification of land cover / assemblages (LK)

• socio-economic survey
• use of lagoon water
• fishermen demography
• (shell)fish catch

Jayatissa, L.P., M.-C. Guéro, S. Hettiarachchi
N. Koedam, 2002. Changes in vegetation cover and
socio-economic transitions in a coastal Lagoon
(Kalametiya, Sri Lanka), as observed by
teledetection and ground-truthing, can be
attributed to an upstream irrigation scheme.
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Disaster management (VE)
De La Ville, N., A.C. Diaz D. Ramirez, 2002.
Remote sensing and GIS technologies as tools to
support sustainable management of areas
devastated by landslides.
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Long-term monitoring / integration / forecasting
Dahdouh-Guebas, F., J.G.Kairo, L.P. Jayatissa, S.
Cannicci N. Koedam, 2002. An ordination study
to view vegetation structure dynamics in
disturbed and undisturbed mangrove forests in
Kenya and Sri Lanka. Plant Ecology 161(1)
123-135.
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Research challenges

• remote sensing and GIS innovation
• automated integration of image attributes
  (texture structure detection) have the
  computer done what until now only the human eye
  is capable of
• long-term monitoring (way beyond the scale of
  projects with a short duration of 4-5 yrs)
• parallel complementary research from many
  disciplines
• integration of inter-disciplinary data.