Mapping structural characteristics of the coastal and island forms of mangroves in the Hara Biosphere Reserve

Given the importance of availability sufficient and accurate information on the structural characteristics of mangroves to develop conservation and restoration programs for these ecosystems, this study investigates and maps the structural characteristics of the coastal and island forms of the mangroves in the Hara Biosphere Reserve. To this end, through a field inventory (32 sample plots with the area of 45 × 45 m) and recording diameter values at the collar location, tree height and diameter and crown height in the sample plots as well as analyzing the relationship between the values of these characteristics using Landsat 8 satellite images of 2019, the structural properties of the habitat forms of the reserve were mapped. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean values of diameter, height, canopy height, canopy diameter and area of the canopy in coastal and island form at a 95% level that indicates a higher degree of the structural development of the coastal form than the island form. The results of mapping the spatial variability of tree diameter showed that the trees had a diameter of 7 to 82.3 cm in island vegetation form and from 7.5 to 86.2 cm in coastal vegetation form and height of trees from 113.3 to 1.1. 648 cm in island habitat form and from 121.2 to 675.5 cm in coastal habitat form. The results also showed that due to the concentration of Tall and Dwarf mangroves in the seaward and landward areas of the Hara Biosphere Reserve, the highest and lowest values of vegetative characteristics were in the margins of the reserve, respectively. Spatial mapping of features and degree of the structural development of habitat forms of the mangrove in the Hara Biosphere Reserve provided the necessary information needed for spatial prioritization of conservation and restoration plans.