Use of public Earth observation data for tracking progress in sustainable management of coastal forest ecosystems in Belize, Central America

A study using public Earth observation data reveals that the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS) experienced significantly lower mangrove loss compared to areas outside the reserve. Between 1996 and 2017, the BBRRS lost approximately 89 hectares of mangroves, while outside the BBRRS, the loss was 2703 hectares during the same period. Nationwide, Belize's overall mangrove cover declined by 5.4% over 36 years, from 76,250 hectares in 1980 to 72,169 hectares in 2017. The research highlights that almost 75% of the mangrove loss outside the BBRRS was concentrated in zones associated with tourism infrastructure. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Earth observation systems in tracking progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets 15.2 and 14.2, providing a use case for monitoring changes in baseline data to support sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

Cherrington, E. A., Griffin, R. E., Anderson, E. R., Hernandez Sandoval, B. E., Flores-Anderson, A. I., Muench, R. E., Markert, K. N., Adams, E. C., Limaye, A. S., & Irwin, D. E. (2020). Use of public Earth observation data for tracking progress in sustainable management of coastal forest ecosystems in Belize, Central America. Remote Sensing of Environment, 245, 111798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.111798