Deshpande, TanviKerkar, Pravina2024-12-302024-12-302023Indian Journal of Environmental Protection. 43(12); 2023; 1086-1095.0253-7141https://www.e-ijep.co.in/43-12-1086-1095/http://khandolacollege.ndl.gov.in/handle/123456789/118Mangroves are important forest ecosystems located between land and sea. They act as storehouses of biodiversity, carbon assimilators, help in nutrient cycling and provide breeding grounds for various organisms. The present study was carried out with the aim to estimate the current mangrove cover in various estuaries of Goa. The objective of the paper is to map and record the current distribution and density of mangroves using remote sensing data and geospatial techniques. The study incorporated use of OBIA segmentation technique to delineate and map mangroves. Kappa coefficient and accuracy assessment were carried out for validation, the results for which showed strong level of agreement. From the results, it was found that the mangrove cover in Goa has increased to 53.32 km2. Largest mangrove cover exists in Mandovi-Zuari-Cumbarjua estuarine complex, consisting of 81.25% of mangrove cover in Goa. The increase in mangrove cover can be associated with natural regeneration. Further, NDVI was calculated to study the density of mangroves. Considering the densitywise mangrove distribution, area under dense mangrove category is 10.13 km2 (18.99%), area under moderate dense category is highest, that is 36.99 km2 (69.37%) and area under sparse category is 6.2 km2 (11.62%).enSOCIAL SCIENCES::Business and economics::Human geography, economic geographyArticle