Coastal wetlands are the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems, benefiting both human populations and the total environment. However, they are continuously threatened by anthropogenic activities. Indus River Delta is the sixth largest in the world, has been adversely affected due to reclamation. The study examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of coastal wetlands and reclamation in the Indus River Delta from 1972 to 2022. Wetlands conversion to reclamation was extracted from 6‐Landsat images. A land cover transfer matrix was used to analyze land use land cover (LULC) changes in different time intervals. Area‐weight centroid was constructed to determine the migration trend of reclamation and coastal wetlands. Spatial accurateness was assessed using Producer's Accuracy (PA), User Accuracy (UA) and KAPPA coefficient (KC). The results reveal that from 1972 to 2022, the net area of wetlands declined by 1.9% (26.1 km2), while reclamation (settlement and cultivated land) increased by 14.7% (200.1 km2), and 27.5% (373.5 km2), respectively. The fastest areal change rate for coastal wetlands was −1.1 km2/year from 2012 to 2022, whereas the fastest areal change rate for settlement and cultivated land were 7.6 km2/year from 1992 to 2002 and 28.6 km2/year from 2012 to 2022. Centroids of wetlands moved slowly eastwards from Kharo Chan taluka to Keti Bandar in the first and third decades, then southwards in the second decade, later on, westwards in the fourth decade, and finally back southwards from Keti Bandar taluka to the Kharo Chan in the fifth decade with fastest movement. Centroids of settlement expanded in all directions over five decades. Centroids of cultivated land migrated westwards in the first, third and fourth decades, northwards in the second decade and southwards in the fifth decade from Keti Bandar to Kharo Chan. The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for sustainable land development and future planning.

中文翻译：

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印度河三角洲滨海湿地因填海造地面临风险——1972—2022 年近 50 年的时空分析


沿海湿地是生产力最高、生物多样性最丰富的生态系统，对人类和整个环境都有好处。然而，它们不断受到人为活动的威胁。印度河三角洲是世界第六大三角洲，由于填海造地而受到不利影响。该研究考察了 1972 年至 2022 年印度河三角洲沿海湿地和填海造地的时空动态。湿地转化为填海造地是从 6-Landsat 图像中提取的。采用土地覆盖转移矩阵分析不同时间间隔内的土地利用土地覆盖 （LULC） 变化。构建面积权重质心以确定填海和滨海湿地的迁移趋势。使用生产者准确度 （PA）、用户准确度 （UA） 和 KAPPA 系数 （KC） 评估空间准确度。结果表明：1972—2022 年，湿地净面积下降了 1.9%（26.1 公里 ² ），而填海造地（定居点和耕地）分别增加了 14.7%（200.1 公里 ² ）和 27.5%（373.5 公里 ² ）。2012 年至 2022 年，沿海湿地面积变化最快为 −1.1 公里 ² /年，而定居点和耕地面积变化最快，1992 年至 2002 年为 7.6 公里 ² /年，2012 年至 2022 年为 28.6 公里 ² /年。湿地质心在第一个和第三个十年从 Kharo Chan taluka 缓慢向东移动到 Keti Bandar，然后在第二个十年向南移动，后来在第四个十年向西移动，最后在第五个十年从 Keti Bandar taluka 向南回到 Kharo Chan 以最快的速度移动。五十年来，定居点的质心向四面八方扩展。 耕地的质心在第一、第三和第四十年向西迁移，在第二个十年向北迁移，在第五十年向南迁移，从 Keti Bandar 到 Kharo Chan。本研究结果为可持续土地开发和未来规划提供了科学依据。