Mapping and valuation of ecosystem services of mangroves: a detailed study from the Andaman island

The mangrove ecosystem is one of the most prolific ecosystems on this earth with significant social, economic, environmental, and biological influence. They provide a wide range of products and services, some of which have direct value while others can have indirect benefits. Mangroves protect nearby areas from storms, winds, and surges by slowing the production of powerful tidal waves and preventing erosion by keeping sediments intact with their complex network of roots. Mangroves provide several ecosystem services that may be represented in various ways. In this study, Remote Sensing (RS) with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used to analyze Landsat images and to observe changes in the Mangrove area and other relevant land use land cover (LULC) patterns in the study area of Andaman Island. Land use and land cover analysis are carried out to study environmental changes and their effects. The results revealed that, during the course of 29 years, from 1989 to 2018, the mangrove forests were reduced from 467 to 377 km², representing a 19.3% overall reduction in the mangrove forests and the extent of water bodies and evergreen forest has also been reduced by 27% and 42% respectively. The total economic value of ecosystem services provided by Andaman’s Mangroves, including both use and non-use values, is estimated to be about INR 47 million per square kilometer per year. The findings of this study revealed that ecosystem services are an integral part of mangrove management, with ecosystem services offering a large number of direct-use and non-use ecosystem services to the citizens of Andaman Island.