Estimation of land use and carbon stocks due to land use change in Phuket Island using GIS and Remote Sensing

Abstract

Phuket Island, namely the pearl of the Andaman Sea, is one of the most attractive places for tourists. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of tourists coming to Phuket increased four times from 3 million to 12 million people. The growth of the tourism industry in Phuket has resulted in profound shifts to the island, especially to urban development. This urban extension not only causes critical issues such as the deforestation for neighborhood subject, but it also affects to the carbon storage in the soil - one of the main factors which help to mitigate climate change by absorbing CO2 emissions. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the land use and land cover change, as well as its effect on carbon stocks in Phuket province from 2000 to 201& by integrating methods: geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing, and estimation of carbon stocks using 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guideline for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Furthermore, this study also estimates the environmental degradation cost caused by the loss of carbon stock using LIME 2. The results of the study show that over a 19-year period, Phuket land use experienced a significant change. A large part of the agricultural area of Phuket has been transformed into tourism facilities such as hotels, restaurants, and resorts. From 2000 to 2007, rubber plantations in Phuket decreased by 10 % and it kept decreasing by 1-2 % till ended period of study. Meanwhile, the settlement area increased by 2-4% in every period of study timeline. Forest land, under the effect of government policy, increased 7% during 2000-2007. After 2007, the forest area fluctuated around 23-24% of the total Phuket area. The loss of carbon storage has been alleviated mainly due to government policy such as the land-reform scheme and National Mangrove Rehabilitation Project to protect the forest and delay the land-use change. Consequently, the total carbon stock in Phuket slightly declined by approximately 1% over 19 years. This environmental loss (1% of carbon stock reduction) is equivalent to around 9 million USD.