A Global Rebound for Mangroves

Executive Briefing

According to reporting by NASA Space & Missions, After decades of decline, this ecologically significant type of forest is making a comeback.

Detailed Factual Report

After decades of decline, this ecologically significant type of forest is making a comeback.

Scientists began using satellites to map mangrove forests in the 1970s after the launch of the first Landsat satellite. For decades, the story they told about mangroves was dominated by loss and decline. Research published in Science suggests that the tide has turned.

A global rebound began around 2010, the scientists found, led by the expansion of mangrove forests in Asia, Australia, and South America. The researchers analyzed Landsat imagery collected between 1984 and 2023, looking for signs of changes in the extent and density of mangrove canopy.

They tallied losses of nearly 3,000 square kilometers (1,200 square miles) between 1984 and 2010, followed by an unexpected increase of nearly 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) of mangroves after 2010. They also found that many of today's mangrove forests have denser, more closed canopies than they did in 2010, a sign of healthier, less degraded forests, particularly in South America.

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Source & Verification Provenance

Information in this article was compiled directly from records provided by NASA Space & Missions. Access the primary source document at: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/a-global-rebound-for-mangroves/. Reporting and editorial review conducted by the USA NOW News Desk.