After many decades of losing mangroves, the tide has turned, and the total extent of mangrove ecosystems around the world is increasing.
The State of the World’s Mangroves 2026 paints a powerful picture of hope and collaboration. Grounded in the latest science from leading experts, this comprehensive report shows how mangrove cover is no longer in retreat and is actually increasing in many areas. This is a reason to be hopeful, but as Mark Spalding points out, it does not mean the work is over.
“The news that mangroves are expanding gives a huge boost to our ambition for these wonderful and critical ecosystems. But it doesn’t mean the work is done. Old-growth mangroves are still being lost at high rates in many regions and degradation is still a very serious issue. Partnerships are key to turning the tide. Only through collaboration can we scale our impact and protect, restore and better manage mangroves for generations to come,” said Mark Spalding, The Nature Conservancy.
Collaboration in Action
“This Fourth edition of the State of the World’s Mangroves demonstrates just how important good data and far-reaching collaboration are for driving policy and action. Supported by the rapidly growing Global Mangrove Alliance network, the emerging evidence, from both science and practical action, provides unparalleled authority and nuance for targeted ambition. Working together, we can inspire further efforts and investments, building benefits for people around the world,” said David Obura, Chair, IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), and Director, CORDIO East Africa.
With over 190 government, community, practitioner, and scientific contributors from 30 countries, the report spotlights partnership as a catalyst for change. Coordinated conservation efforts, like that of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA), are critical for reducing mangrove loss and degradation while increasing restoration. This 100+ member organization, led by The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, IUCN, Wetlands International, and WWF, illustrates the power of global partnerships that prioritize best practices to help existing mangroves flourish.
The 17 National Chapters of the GMA are leading exemplars of collaboration—bringing together government, NGO, and regional groups who exchange knowledge across regions and sectors. These partners actively listen to one another, share insights, and greatly influence the future of mangrove forests and of the lives that depend on them.
Ecuador
The Ecuador National Chapter has played a significant role in expanding community-based conservation, promoting more than 45 sustainable use agreements for mangroves and supporting the consolidation of over 100,000 hectares of mangroves under community stewardship.
Guinea Bissau
The Guinea Bissau National Chapter has developed a public data platform to support monitoring, decision-making, and tracking restoration efforts. Such collaborative ventures empower the work of all partners, generating greater collaboration and broadening outcomes.
The Philippines
The Philippines has lost two-thirds of its mangroves in the last century. The National Chapter is working to connect best practices with work on the ground. They are changing policy through lobbying, resource mobilization, and partnership contributions.
Mapping Mangroves
Mapping underpins so much of our knowledge about mangroves. Not only where they are being lost or expanding, but where they are providing benefits, protecting people, storing carbon, and supporting fishers. This year, Global Mangrove Watch v4.1, the world’s leading mangrove mapping and monitoring platform, and newly published research in Science Magazine have shown how we have reached a dramatic turning point for mangrove forests. With mangroves mapped back from 1985 to 2025, the new maps highlight the gradual slowing of losses over the last 40 years and, about 10 years ago, a reversal towards net gains.
Gains are good news, but they don’t directly make up for the vast losses of old forests over the course of the last century or so. Around 65% of mangrove gains are actually found in areas where mangroves have not grown before, and in many cases, they are thriving on new sediment that was deposited in coastal waters as a result of deforestation and erosion far inland. And we cannot let the new forest gains hide the continued losses of older mangroves. The new forests will need decades before their benefits outweigh the significant losses felt from the continued degradation of old-growth forests, from carbon storage and biodiversity habitat to flood protection.
“The gains we are seeing come with caveats, and are sometimes at the expense of other ecosystems. When mangroves thrive, the whole world benefits, so we must be cautious that the gains don’t distract from much-needed momentum in our partnerships,” said Marice Leal, The Nature Conservancy.
Where losses continue, it is important to understand the causes. Sometimes the impact is clearly attributable, and there are stories and images throughout the report: direct clearance and conversion to urban areas in Guinea and India, Bahrain and Bali, aquaculture and illegal cutting in Senegal, ill-planned mining cutting off mangroves from the ocean in Mozambique; oil pollution in Nigeria. Other threats are more insidious, and harder to apportion; sea level rise rarely threatens mangroves as a single cause, but is very likely linked to losses when other factors, such as subsidence and hydrological disturbances upstream, are also at play.
2030 and Beyond
At the halfway point to the Global Mangrove Alliance 2030 Goals, the report revisits the progress towards halting loss, doubling protection, and restoring half and explores what these goals will achieve regionally.
To be effective, community partnerships are critical. The State of the World’s Mangroves 2026 delves into these partnerships through regional case studies of community-led restoration efforts in Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, Tanzania, and the Philippines.
- Halting loss has always focused on direct, human-induced loss. It is different from halting “net loss.” This nuance is important given the newly reported gains. We still must halt any losses of original mangrove cover—newly established mangroves cannot be seen as replacements.
- Doubling protection requires deeper consideration. The sharpened goal calls for doubling where appropriate, but adds a minimum target of 30% protection, and a challenge to reach 90% protection where current protection is already above 45%. Attention is also drawn to other forms of protection, noting that in many countries, regulations at the national level often offer at least partial protection to all mangroves.
- Restoring half of recently lost mangroves remains a clear target, although tracking progress is likely to remain a considerable challenge. Restoration takes time. Quick-fix mass plantings are rarely the solution. The report highlights restoration stories from around the world, from Brazil to Indonesia, Qatar to Tanzania.
“2026 represents the halfway point to the GMA’s 2030 goals, and there’s much to consider. There are reasons for optimism and reasons for concern around the future health of mangrove ecosystems,” said Emily Landis, Global Climate Adaptation & Resilience Director at TNC.
The State of the World’s Mangrove 2026 unpacks the current state of global mangrove coverage. It shares stories of the progress communities are driving across the globe, but also the global science around and how increased degradation impacts a healthy future for nature and people. If we protect, better manage, and restore mangrove ecosystems, we will tap into immediate and cost-effective solutions to combat the climate crisis, while addressing human livelihoods and biodiversity loss.
State of the World’s Mangroves 2026
The latest science on mangroves around the world and how we can support their conservation and restoration.
