Abstract
Because shrimp culture in the Mekong Delta develops rapidly, it has negatively impacted the environment, socio-economics and natural resources. In particular, mangrove forests have been altered by the shrimp culture. The area of mangrove forests in the region has been reduced and
this is seen especially in Tra Vinh province. The results obtained from GIS (Geography Information System) and RS (Remote Sensing) show the
status of mangrove forests in Tra Vinh province in 1965, 1995 (Northeastern part of Tra Vinh Province) and 2001. In 1965, the area of mangrove
forests was 21,221 ha making up 56% of total land-use, while in 2001 it was 12,797 ha making up 37% of total land-use. Also based on GIS
analysis, over the 36 years (1965 e2001), the total coverage of mangrove forests have decreased by 50% since 1965. However, the speed of
mangrove forest destruction in the period from 1965 to 1995 was much less than that in the period from 1995 to 2001. The average annual
reduction in mangrove forest coverage in the first period (1965 e1995) was 0.2% whereas it was 13.1% in the later period (1995 e2001). For
the long time, mangrove deforestation has been caused by war, collection of firewood and clearing for agriculture, and recently, shrimp farming
has significantly contributed rate of mangrove destruction.
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