Since 2000, the shrimp industry expands at a fast rate in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Shrimp farming is known for its negative impact on the coastal environment. However, other human interventions like agriculture and urbanization also deteriorate the coastal environment. The land cover changes between 1968 and 2003 were determined and analyzed for the Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau Province, Vietnam, using photos from 1968, 1992 (aerial photographs), 1997/98 (Spot) and 2003 (Landsat). It was clear that the district underwent serious land cover changes: deforestation between 1968 and 1992, with a simultaneous increase in rice land; a rapid decline in. | Environment Development and Sustainability 2005 7 519-536 DOI S10668-Oo4-6001-Z Springer 2005 LAND COVER CHANGES BETWEEN 1968 AND 2003 IN CAI NUOC CA MAU PENINSULA VIETNAM . BINH1 NICO VROMANT2 NGUYEN THANH HUNG1 LUC HENS3 and BOON3 1 National Centre for Natural Science and Technology Department of Geography Information System and Remote Sensing 1 Mac Dinh Chi District 1 Ho Chi Minh Vietnam 2Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology Charles de Beriotstraat 32 B-3000 Leuven Belgium 3Vrije Universiteit Brussel Human Ecology Department Laarbeeklaan 103 B-1090 Brussels Belgium author for correspondence e-mail pvpialy@hcm fax 84-8-8299618 tel. 84-8-8299618 Received 19 January 2004 accepted 5 November 2004 Abstract. Since 2000 the shrimp industry expands at a fast rate in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta Vietnam. Shrimp farming is known for its negative impact on the coastal environment. However other human interventions like agriculture and urbanization also deteriorate the coastal environment. The land cover changes between 1968 and 2003 were determined and analyzed for the Cai Nuoc district Ca Mau Province Vietnam using photos from 1968 1992 aerial photographs 1997 98 Spot and 2003 Landsat . It was clear that the district underwent serious land cover changes deforestation between 1968 and 1992 with a simultaneous increase in rice land a rapid decline in rice acreage from 1997 onwards and simultaneously a blitz-increase in shrimp farming area. The forest area declined by 75 between 1968 and 2003. About 40 of this loss could be attributed to shrimp farming while the remaining 60 was attributed to needs for agricultural land. Still at present shrimp farming is the major source of mangrove loss in the district. In 1999 shrimp farms covered ha in 2000 they covered ha of the Cai Nuoc area. The swap from rice cultivation to shrimp farming was most-prob-ably driven by households hopes for a higher income. It must
