Changes in mangrove vegetation area and character in a war and land use change affected region of Vietnam (Mui Ca Mau) over six decades

•Major changes in the extent and composition of mangrove forests are shown in the Mui Ca Mau, Vietnam between 1953 and 2011.•Major agents of mangrove destruction in chemical warfare and conversion to shrimp aquaculture are quantified.•The development of a mangrove-shrimp farm system as the dominant land use is shown and discussed.•Natural mangrove is much reduced and the mangrove cover is now mostly planted Rhizophora.•Mangrove destruction has been partially compensated by extensive replanting efforts, which are quantified.

Aerial photographs and satellite images have been used to determine land cover changes during the period 1953 to 2011 in the Mui Ca Mau, Vietnam, especially in relation to changes in the mangrove area. The mangrove area declined drastically from approximately 71,345 ha in 1953 to 33,083 ha in 1992, then rose to 46,712 ha in 2011. Loss due to herbicide attacks during the Vietnam War, overexploitation, and conversion into agriculture and aquaculture encouraged by land management policies are being partially counteracted by natural regeneration and replanting, especially a gradual increase in plantations as part of integrated mangrove-shrimp farming systems. The nature of the mangrove vegetation has markedly been transformed over this period. The results are valuable for management planning to understand and improve the contribution of mangrove forests to the provision of ecosystem services and resources, local livelihood and global interest.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide