This paper aimed to evaluate the change in mangrove cover in the navy extraction reservation (RESEX) Iguape Bay, Bahia, Brazil, in the period 1996 to 2010, once the this is an environment of great importance to ecological balance and also represents an indispensable resource for many human populations living in these places. The multitemporal analysis of the coverage of mangrove forest was performed using bands 3, 4 and 5 from two TM/LANDSAT 5 images of the years 1996 and 2010. This images had been selected under the criterion of minimum percentage of cloud coverage in the established periods and was processed by the technique of pixel segmentation. The band selected was the band 4 (near Infra Red) and for pre-classification, was calculated the Kappa and Pabak indexes, which reached, respectively, 0.85 and 0.9. Completed the classification of mangrove areas, was calculated coverage of mangrove forest for an objective comparison of changes over time. From the quantitative analysis of images, it was found that coverage of the mangrove forest showed an increase of 3 km2 in the period, growing from 26 km2 in 1996 to a total of 29 km2 in 2010, according to research data. It is important to note that the values found in this study are consistent with similar studies done in the Iguape Bay. Finally, one can infer that the Bay Iguape presents good condition for conservation of mangroves, confirming the prospect of sustainability of traditional peoples in their home environment and livelihood.Pages: 5046-505
