Mangrove Cover Changes In The Coastal Area Of Sorong City: A Spatio-Temporal Study Using Satellite Imagery And Geographic Information System

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems play a vital ecological and economic role, yet they are often threatened by various human activities and environmental changes. This research aims to analyze the land cover changes of mangrove ecosystems in the coastal areas of Sorong City between 2017 and 2025, utilizing Landsat satellite imagery and manual digitization techniques within a Geographic Information System (GIS). The research stages included downloading Landsat satellite imagery, band compositing, clipping the imagery to the Sorong City Area of Interest (AoI), and creating a 5-6-4 band composite for mangrove visualization. Mangrove ecosystems were then manually digitized based on visual interpretation of the imagery. The mangrove cover area was calculated and overlaid with thematic maps of administration boundaries and forest areas. The research findings indicate an aggregate increase in mangrove cover in Sorong City from 782.1 hectares in 2017 to 791.27 hectares in 2025, with a total increase of 9.17 hectares. The overall rise in mangrove cover suggests the presence of effective conservation and restoration efforts, coupled with environmental conditions more conducive to mangrove growth. Besides their natural recovery capabilities, Sorong City's mangrove ecosystems are also being restored through human-assisted rehabilitation activities. Further analysis identified Klamana Village as the area with the largest reduction in mangrove cover, decreasing by 10.23 hectares (6.8%) from 158.6 ha in 2017 to 148.4 ha in 2025. These findings indicate heterogeneity in the effectiveness of mangrove conservation at the village level, underscoring the need for local governments in Sorong City to review the effectiveness of mangrove management policies at the village level to ensure the sustainability of coastal ecosystems.