Integrated Geospatial Approach for Mangrove Restoration and Environmental Sustainability in Mundra Coast of Gujarat, India

Mangrove restorationRestoration is considered crucial in conserving and protecting coastal ecosystems and its habitat. Large-scale mangrove restorationsRestoration were introduced to address disaster prevention across coastal habitats using selected native mangrove species. Soil characteristic study is considered an important factor in mangrove cultivation in conservation as well as developing coastal shelter belts for disaster riskRisks reduction. In this study, we carried out a preliminary survey to assess specific physical and chemical characteristics of soil at randomly selected sites on the Mundra coast during 2014–2015. The present study was undertaken to assess the environmental status of the mangrove forest in the Mundra coast region and to study the periodical changes in the coastal habitat using high spatial resolution multi-temporal digital data. The distribution of physicochemical characteristics through the on-field determination of soil texture, soil pHPH, and electrical conductivityConductivity was measured. Soil Organic carbon, macronutrients (N, P, K), and micronutrients (Ca, Mg, S) are measured in the selected study sites. The results showed the even distribution of soil macro and micronutrients owing to the natural processes and human activity. Soil salinity is higher and the pHPH is neutral in range. The results showed that there is an increase in the natural regeneration of mangroves as well as construction activities on the Mundra coast. The information from this study was highly beneficial for the introduction of native species for mangrove regeneration, planning for conservation, and community-based management of mangroves in the study area.