This 2024 edition of The State of the World’s Mangroves.
Mangroves are critical ecosystems, bridging land, freshwater and sea. They host tremendous diversity and protect and provide for countless coastal communities around the world. This 2024 edition of The State of the World’s Mangroves highlights the tremendous advances that have been made on multiple fronts to safeguard these ecosystems. It showcases progress in: science and understanding; collaboration and information sharing; practical management interventions; and the many policy, legal and financial tools that will help to secure a better future for these ecosystems.​​
MANGROVE SPOTLIGHT
WHY MANGROVES?
Mangroves are ecosystems of hope, bridging land, freshwater and sea. The 15 million hectares of mangroves across the globe host tremendous diversity, protection qualities and provide for countless coastal communities. Mangroves are not only places of great beauty, they are also among the world’s most productive ecosystems. They are fish factories, carbon stores and seawalls.
21B
Tons of CO2 stored
15M
People protected
600B
Shrimp and fish produced
341+
Threatened marine species
RISK & OPPORTUNITY
50% of mangroves are at risk of collapse by 2050. While rates of mangrove loss have decreased, our knowledge of their value and importance has increased. Today, over 42% of remaining mangroves are formally protected for conservation purposes, and efforts to restore mangroves have surged, along with the tools and knowledge to support such restoration efforts. Mangroves are also remarkably resilient and opportunistic. Give these ecosystems half a chance and they’ll take it – rapidly settling on newly deposited coastal settlements or recolonizing former strongholds whenever they are re-connected to the shifting tides.
​​Mangroves can be protected through a global, coordinated conservation effort and an expansion of marine protected areas.
The GMA works alongside global partners to safeguard these ecosystems through the advancement of science and understanding, collaboration, information sharing, practical management interventions and the many policy, legal and financial tools that will help to secure a better future for these ecosystems.
While mangrove losses in the past were considerable, rates of loss are declining and fell by 44% between 2000 and 2020. In addition, the global picture of mangrove extent is better than ever thanks to the latest Global Mangrove Watch dataset—offering a sixfold increase in mapping resolution and coverage of six additional regions with mangroves.
CURRENT STATE
Local ecological knowledge (LEK) can provide vital information to develop mangrove conservation and restoration efforts with greater potential for long-term outcomes. Engaging ethically with LEK may seem a challenge, but thorough guidance is now available for researchers and practitioners through The LEK Best-Practice Guide.
LOCAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
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