Mangrove forests are critical ecosystems, for biodiversity, climate and for humanity. Vast areas have been lost, but things are changing. As we begin to realize their full value—as carbon stores, fish factories, coastal defenses and more—ever-greater efforts are being made to protect what remains, and to start programs of restoration. The State of the World’s Mangroves, by the Global Mangrove Alliance, provides the very latest information on what we know about mangroves and what’s being done to support these magnificent habitats.
In 2018 Conservation International (CI), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Wetlands International, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) formed the Global Mangrove Alliance. This partnership now includes over 25 member organizations who share the aim of scaling up the recovery of mangroves through equitable and effective expansion of both mangrove protection and the restoration of former mangrove areas.
