Abstract:
With the rapid socio-economic development and the increasing demand for natural resources in China, the protection of natural reserves is facing increasing difficulties. The remote sensing-based research on monitoring the disturbance and the restoration of mangrove forests through time series analysis is still in its initial stage. Moreover, time series algorithms are highly complex. Based on the LandTrendr time segmentation algorithm of Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the Landsat image time-series data, this study investigated the disturbance to mangrove forests in the Dongzhaigang Mangrove Nature Reserve during 1990—2020. The results are as follows: ① A total of 42.39 hm
2 of mangrove forests were disturbed during 1990—2020, among which the largest disturbance area of 12.78 hm
2 occurred in 2014; ② During 1990—2020, minor, moderate, and severe disturbances accounted for 65.39%, 30.78%, and 3.83%, respectively; ③ The overall identification accuracy of the pixels of mangrove forests subject to changes was 89.50%, and the overall detection accuracy of years witnessing disturbance was 88%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.79. This study analyzed the years and areas of the disturbance to mangrove forests in the Dongzhaigang Mangrove Nature Reserve over 30 years based on LandTrendr. Moreover, this study analyzed the disturbance factors according to the actual situation and concluded that human activities are the main disturbance factor, followed by natural factors, such as diseases, pests, and extreme weather events. This study will provide a scientific basis and a decision reference for the management of the mangrove forest reserve.