Use of satellite remote sensing for coastal conservation in the Eastern African Coast: advantages and shortcomings

Abstract

Landsat 5 TM imagery from 2005 was used to map (at a coarse descriptive resolution) coastal habitats along the Tanzania/Mozambique transboundary zone. The map (available at http://www.transmap.fc.ul.pt/) was a reference for the study of environmental and social aspects, and for conservation, was disseminated among local stakeholders, ENGOs and various decision-making authorities and managers, and was used in the development of a transfrontier conservation area.

Large scale remote sensing constitutes a cost-effective approach for research and management, as, with limited human, technical, temporal, and financial resources, it provides synoptic views of territories and allows for the estimation of quantitative changes in land use.

Keywords:

• Landsat TM5
• Tanzania
• Mozambique
• coastal zone management
• habitat mapping
• Transboundary Marine Protected Areas