Land Management and Utilization

Research Article

Science-Based Mangrove Conservation Management in the Context of Climate Change in Pinar del Río, Cuba

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https://doi.org/10.54963/lmu.v2i1.2357
Volume 2 Issue 1 (2026): In Progress
Copyright (c) 2026 Yandry Jesús Muñoz Labrador, Iluminada de la Caridad Milián Cabrera, Greicy de la Caridad Rodríguez
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Authors

  • Yandry Jesús Muñoz Labrador

    Department of Natural Resources, Priority Ecosystems and Climate Change, Territorial Delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Pinar del Río 20100, Cuba
  • Iluminada de la Caridad Milián Cabrera

    Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pinar del Río Hermanos Saiz Montes de Oca, Pinar del Río 20100, Cuba
  • Greicy de la Caridad Rodríguez

    Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pinar del Río Hermanos Saiz Montes de Oca, Pinar del Río 20100, Cuba

Received: 27 December 2025; Revised: 6 February 2025; Accepted: 9 February 2025; Published: 23 March 2025

Mangroves are critical for climate change adaptation but face increasing threats from hurricanes and anthropogenic pressures. Quantitative baselines for post-disturbance conditions remain limited in Cuba. We integrated field forest inventories (40 permanent 100 m2 plots) with remote sensing time series (aerial photographs: 1957, 1970, 1999; Landsat 7: 2003; Sentinel-2A: 2022, 2025) in La Coloma, southwestern Pinar del Río, Cuba. Biophysical variables (diameter, height, basal area, ecological importance value index) and seven spectral indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Mangrove Vegetation Index (MVI), Green Cover Index (GCI), Enhanced Vegetation Index-2 (EVI-2), Normalized Difference Salinity Index (NDSI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Natural Regeneration Index (IRN)) were analyzed. Classification accuracy was assessed using confusion matrix and Kappa coefficient. The mangrove forest presents low-stature structure (mean height: 4.16 m; mean diameter at 1.30 m: 5.41 cm). Total basal area was 7.41 m2·ha⁻1. Hurricane Ian (September 2022) affected 54% of individuals (351 trees). Mangrove cover increased from 6,434 ha (1957) to 7,282 ha (2022), a net increase of 848 ha (11.64%). Spectral indices revealed progressive degradation: MVI confirmed an alarming 161.8% increase (154.0 ha) in moderately degraded areas. Overall, 403.5 ha (33% of the total analyzed area) were degraded (199.4 ha highly degraded, 204.2 ha degraded), with 288.6 ha regenerating and 546.6 ha healthy. Classification accuracy was 87.3% (Kappa = 0.84). Six anthropogenic and three natural stressors were identified, including the defoliating lepidopteran Junonia genoveva affecting 80% of sampled areas. Integrating field inventories with Sentinel-2 remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information System) enables precise post-disturbance mangrove diagnosis. The established baseline serves as a predictive tool for land-use planning and assisted restoration prioritization under Cuba's "Tarea Vida" climate adaptation plan.

Keywords:

Mangrove Conservation Remote Sensing NDVI Climate Resilience Hurricane Ian Tarea Vida

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