Landsat data of mangrove forest changes in Hainan Island during 1987–2017

Distributed in the coastal wetlands of tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, mangrove forests provide important ecological and eco-economical services such as coastal erosion prevention, water purification, nursery habitats for marine fish and shrimp breeding, provision of building materials and medicinal ingredients, and tourist attraction. A dataset of mangrove forests changes from 1987 to 2017 in Hainan Island was developed using Landsat TM/OLI images obtained in 1987, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2013 and 2017. This dataset was compiled through a support vector machine (SVM) classification method based on ground survey data. It can be used to understand the status and dynamics of mangrove forests, and to support decision-making concerning the restoration, protection and management of mangrove wetland ecosystem. Further, the dataset provides basic data for ecological environment monitoring in Hainan Province.