Analysis of land use change in the coastal zone on Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In the country of South-Pacific Island, the coastal erosion due to sea-level rise with global warming is a remarkable concern. When the adaptation plan in the island country is considered, the land-use change based on human activities and decrease in the coastal vegetation becomes an important issue. Therefore, tracing and analysis of the history of land cover and coastal vegetation for recent 20 years on Fongafale island of Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu has conducted in this study. For the analysis, previously investigated data of the geographical map, vegetation map and aerial photograph were collected and then the change is identified by comparison with high-resolution satellite image. Through the investigation the results of this study could be described as follows: 1） Decrease areas of the coastal vegetation were extending in the direction of the north and south-west from the centre of the Fongafale Island. 2） The decrease of the coastal vegetation was more remarkable in the ocean side compare to lagoon side.