Farmlands, positioned at the interface of mangrove forestlands and urban centers, serve as critical buffer zones. These areas play a pivotal role in determining the ecological fate of mangrove forests, acting as a cushion against mangrove deforestation. This study aims to study the spatiotemporal data from Landsat imagery whilst considering the geo-political and scocio-economic transformations of such a buffer region adjoining the Sunderban mangrove forest to understand the surreptitious reason for such expansive nature of the farmlands. Results indicate that these buffer farmlands are in a constant tug-of-war between the urban and forest ecosystems. The built up area adjoining the cities increases at a much higher pace than the areas adjoining the forest lands. Quite contrary to the popular belief, it is seen that the majority of cropland expansion in the mangrove adjoining regions arises from the use of fallow land rather than the clearing of vegetation. The study shows that the changes need to be addressed through the government’s policies and a restructure of governance is required. In policymaking, the collaborative action of scientists, governments, and local people should be involved. The lack of sustainable development and targeted improvement can increase the threat and risk nearby the mangrove farmlands.

中文翻译：

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绿色难题：解决红树林景观缓冲农田的悖论


农田位于红树林和城市中心的交界处，是重要的缓冲区。这些地区在决定红树林的生态命运方面发挥着关键作用，可以作为防止红树林砍伐的缓冲。本研究旨在研究陆地卫星图像的时空数据，同时考虑毗邻桑德班红树林的缓冲区的地缘政治和社会经济转型，以了解农田如此广阔的性质的秘密原因。结果表明，这些缓冲农田在城市和森林生态系统之间处于持续的拉锯战中。毗邻城市的建成区面积增长速度远高于毗邻林地的面积。与普遍看法相反的是，红树林毗邻地区的大部分农田扩张都是由于休耕地的使用而不是植被的砍伐造成的。研究表明，这些变化需要通过政府的政策来应对，并且需要进行治理结构的重组。在政策制定过程中，科学家、政府和当地民众应共同参与。缺乏可持续发展和有针对性的改进可能会增加红树林农田附近的威胁和风险。