Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades

In recent decades, China’s mangroves have experienced severe degradation, followed by significant initiatives aimed at conservation and recovery. These initiatives have brought about significant changes in the extent of mangrove areas and their health conditions. Previous research has primarily conc...

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Main Authors: Xinzhi Wang, Rong Zhang, Mingming Jia, Zongming Wang, Chuanpeng Zhao, Xianxian Guo, Huiying Li, Zhaohui Xue, Chao Zhou, Xiangming Xiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500562X
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author Xinzhi Wang
Rong Zhang
Mingming Jia
Zongming Wang
Chuanpeng Zhao
Xianxian Guo
Huiying Li
Zhaohui Xue
Chao Zhou
Xiangming Xiao
author_facet Xinzhi Wang
Rong Zhang
Mingming Jia
Zongming Wang
Chuanpeng Zhao
Xianxian Guo
Huiying Li
Zhaohui Xue
Chao Zhou
Xiangming Xiao
author_sort Xinzhi Wang
collection DOAJ
description In recent decades, China’s mangroves have experienced severe degradation, followed by significant initiatives aimed at conservation and recovery. These initiatives have brought about significant changes in the extent of mangrove areas and their health conditions. Previous research has primarily concentrated on the dynamics of mangrove areas. Few studies have addressed the health condition, limited by lower spatial resolution, short time spans, and saturation effects of traditional vegetation indices. To overcome these challenges, we leveraged 37,144 Landsat scenes from 1993 to 2022 to generate kernel normalized difference vegetation index (kNDVI) images, monitoring spatial and temporal progression of mangrove greenness by kNDVI dynamics. Additionally, we analyzed the driving forces of kNDVI changes and environmental factors. The results showed that: (1) China’s mangroves’ kNDVI values were increasing obviously during the last three decades, which indicated significant greening trends; (2) mangroves with greening tendencies were predominantly found in densely distributed regions, whereas degradation occurred in dispersed and isolated mangroves; (3) in general, mangrove greenness was positively correlated with sea surface salinity (r = 0.540, p < 0.01) and air temperature (r = 0.488, p < 0.01). This study considered the spatial–temporal distribution characteristics of China’s mangroves, analyzed changes in their greening trends using kNDVI. The results and discussion could offer scientific references for the protection, restoration, and management of China’s mangroves, potentially helping to address challenges posed by changes in terrestrial and marine environments.
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spelling doaj-art-f7f9fc549d09495eb5ca869c196f69c72025-08-20T02:35:47ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-07-0117611363210.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113632Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decadesXinzhi Wang0Rong Zhang1Mingming Jia2Zongming Wang3Chuanpeng Zhao4Xianxian Guo5Huiying Li6Zhaohui Xue7Chao Zhou8Xiangming Xiao9State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China; International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, 100094 Beijing, China; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China; National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Ministry of Ecology Environment, 116023 Dalian, ChinaSchool of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, ChinaCollege of Geography and Remote Sensing, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaNational Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Ministry of Ecology Environment, 116023 Dalian, ChinaDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Center for Earth Observation and Modeling, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USAIn recent decades, China’s mangroves have experienced severe degradation, followed by significant initiatives aimed at conservation and recovery. These initiatives have brought about significant changes in the extent of mangrove areas and their health conditions. Previous research has primarily concentrated on the dynamics of mangrove areas. Few studies have addressed the health condition, limited by lower spatial resolution, short time spans, and saturation effects of traditional vegetation indices. To overcome these challenges, we leveraged 37,144 Landsat scenes from 1993 to 2022 to generate kernel normalized difference vegetation index (kNDVI) images, monitoring spatial and temporal progression of mangrove greenness by kNDVI dynamics. Additionally, we analyzed the driving forces of kNDVI changes and environmental factors. The results showed that: (1) China’s mangroves’ kNDVI values were increasing obviously during the last three decades, which indicated significant greening trends; (2) mangroves with greening tendencies were predominantly found in densely distributed regions, whereas degradation occurred in dispersed and isolated mangroves; (3) in general, mangrove greenness was positively correlated with sea surface salinity (r = 0.540, p < 0.01) and air temperature (r = 0.488, p < 0.01). This study considered the spatial–temporal distribution characteristics of China’s mangroves, analyzed changes in their greening trends using kNDVI. The results and discussion could offer scientific references for the protection, restoration, and management of China’s mangroves, potentially helping to address challenges posed by changes in terrestrial and marine environments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500562XMangrove greeningHealth conditionkNDVINature reservesEnvironmental drivesChina
spellingShingle Xinzhi Wang
Rong Zhang
Mingming Jia
Zongming Wang
Chuanpeng Zhao
Xianxian Guo
Huiying Li
Zhaohui Xue
Chao Zhou
Xiangming Xiao
Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
Ecological Indicators
Mangrove greening
Health condition
kNDVI
Nature reserves
Environmental drives
China
title Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
title_full Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
title_fullStr Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
title_full_unstemmed Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
title_short Significant greening of China’s mangrove forests during the last three decades
title_sort significant greening of china s mangrove forests during the last three decades
topic Mangrove greening
Health condition
kNDVI
Nature reserves
Environmental drives
China
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500562X
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