Geoinformatics for Coastal Wetland Inventory of Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

Coastal wetlands include littoral zones, brackish water and estuarine regions, lagoons and coral reefs. These wetlands in the world being great ecological and economic significance, global efforts are being made to manage these resources on a sustainable basis. In addition, wetlands also play a major role in feeding and breeding areas for marine habitat and provide a stopping place for marine turtles. An attempt has been made here to map a reliable and precession thematic database for coastal geomorphology, land use and wetlands of Krishna district. For attain this, IRS LISS IV satellite data and SOI topgraphical maps on 1:25,000 scale are used. Geoinformatics tools like Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) have been used for mapping. In recent years, RS & GIS have been proved for effective resources management and coastal environmental monitoring. Eighteen types of coastal wetlands are identified in the study area covering a total area of 1042 km2 . The generated spatial information on coastal geomorphology, land use and wetlands will aid in understanding the spatial distribution and extent which will ultimately help in further planning and taking in time appropriate decisions for sustainable development.