Mangroves in the Galapagos islands: Distribution and dynamics

Mangrove forests in the Galápagos Islands cover approximately 3,657 hectares, accounting for 35% of the coastline. A recent study revealed that 80% of this mangrove cover is concentrated on Isabela Island, with 90% located in the western and central south-eastern bioregions. The research utilized high-resolution Google Earth imagery to map mangroves, achieving a classification accuracy of 99.1% when validated against field data. On-screen digitization proved significantly more accurate than semi-automated methods, with Maximum Likelihood Classification yielding the best results among automated techniques. Between 2004 and 2014, mangrove coverage increased by 24%, primarily through the expansion of existing patches rather than the formation of new ones. The study also suggests that mangrove cover and growth may be inversely proportional to the geological age of the islands, though other factors such as nutrient availability, currents, and wave exposure could also influence this pattern.

Moity, N., Delgado, B., & Salinas-de-León, P. (2019). Mangroves in the Galapagos islands: Distribution and dynamics. Plos One, 14(1), e0209313. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209313