Driving Mangrove Recovery: Community Engagement and Socio-Economic Shifts in Aquaculture Areas

Land-use change and recovery patterns of mangroves in the Tha Sak subdistrict, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, were examined utilizing multi-temporal Landsat images and socio-economic data from 1988 to 2023. Land use was classified through visual interpretation, and potential changes were predicted using a Markov chain model. The results showed a significant expansion of mangrove forests (1.11 km² to 9.10 km²), indicating a clear recovery. At the same time, the aquaculture area decreased drastically (from 25.69 km² to 8.79 km²), indicating a significant change in land use. The recovery of mangroves is primarily attributed to the cessation of aquaculture and the active involvement of the Tha Sak subdistrict's Small-Scale Fishermen Group, highlighting the success of community-based restoration. This study provides evidence of the critical role local communities play in bringing about positive environmental change and enabling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 15: Life on Land from ecosystem restoration, SDG 14: Life Below Water for conservation of coastal areas, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities for increasing community resilience. Involving local communities in mangrove restoration and preservation is key to long-term sustainability.