Mangroves are one of Earth’s most critical ecosystems, buffering coasts from storm surges, serving as vital habitat for aquatic, semiaquatic and terrestrial species; and providing food and livelihoods for local communities.
They cover only 0.1% of Earth’s land surface, but the dense, dark canopies and roots of mangrove trees are one of our most powerful tools to build resilience as the climate changes.
Benefits of Mangrove Ecosystems
Mangrove forests provide a wealth of benefits for both people and nature. They:
- Protect young fish, crabs, and other marine wildlife
- Filter sediments, protecting coral reefs and seagrasses
- Provide habitat for birds, bees, snakes, and other terrestrial fauna
- Reduce impacts of coastal storm surges and flooding
- Prevent erosion and stabilize coastlines
- Support local fisheries, ecotourism, and local crafts
Mangroves are also powerful carbon sinks:
- Mangroves store 7.5–10 times more carbon per acre, up to 4 times more per hectare, than terrestrial tropical forests.
- Mangrove loss contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
- Globally, mangroves hold approximately 21 gigatons of carbon, with WWF’s efforts aiming to protect and restore these crucial carbon sinks.
- Restoring recently lost mangrove forests (1.6 million acres) could capture an additional 1 gigaton of carbon.
Why do we need mangrove restoration?
Despite their importance, 50% of the world’s mangroves have disappeared in the past half-century, victims of rising sea levels, pollution, demand for timber, and clearing by locals and coastal developers alike.
There’s good news, though: Mangrove restoration is relatively easy, fast and successful. WWF’s mangrove restoration projects have demonstrated high success rates, with some initiatives reporting a 62.5% to 82% success rate in areas like Colombia by focusing on native species and engaging local communities.
This article features 5 ways WWF is working to protect, restore and conserve some of the world’s most threatened mangrove habitats.
Mangrove nursery
1. Co-Founding the Global Mangrove Alliance
WWF teamed up with Conservation International, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and The Nature Conservancy to form the Global Mangrove Alliance with the goals:
- reverse the loss of critically important mangrove habitats worldwide and
- expand global mangrove habitat 20% by the year 2030.
“Mangroves are a powerful tool that nature has provided us, but we’re not doing enough, fast enough, to protect them,” said Lauren Spurrier, managing director of oceans for WWF.
Group of happy volunteers with tree seedlings, Volunteer helpers planting trees in mangrove forest for environmental protection and ecology, reduce global warming, Charity work
The alliance connects funders, experts, policymakers and local communities to accelerate a comprehensive, coordinated, global approach to mangrove conservation and restoration at a scale.
“It will take concerted action by many players to reverse declines and bring back what we’ve lost,” Spurrier said. “There is no time to duplicate efforts and waste resources. Bringing this work together through an alliance, allows us to focus our organizations in areas where we know we can have maximum impact.”
The Global Mangrove Alliance seeks to catalyze $10 billion in investments to improve the resilience of local coastal communities and improve the wellbeing of 10 million people worldwide.
2. Partnerships to Save Coastal Kenya Forests
The Public-Private-People Partnerships to Save Coastal Kenya Forests supports sustainable management and conservation of 30,000 hectares of critical mangrove and terrestrial forest ecosystems. The project focuses on mitigating environmental impacts of large-scale economic development by promoting energy and water efficiency while reducing their ecological footprint. It also builds capacity of local communities, government agencies, and the private sector to ensure effective, long-term ecosystem management.
Mangroves, Kenya
One of the key drivers of coastal forest degradation is the lack of information on mangrove ecosystem benefits. Mangroves are essential nesting grounds for fish—a key source of food. They also act to safeguard coastlines against typhoons.
WWF-Kenya’s Public-Private-People Partnerships to Save Coastal Kenya Forests Project focuses on:
- terrestrial and mangrove forest protection and restoration, plus
- supporting local community custodians of forests to appreciate the value of conservation, including indigenous knowledge and youth engagement.
This initiative is vital to enhance the resilience of Kenya‘s mangroves, which are crucial for biodiversity and coastal protection.
WWF collaborates with key partners to integrate local knowledge with advanced environmental safeguards. The project also supports global conservation objectives like the Aichi Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals, by embedding ecosystem values into regional policies and development plans, ensuring these ecosystems are preserved for future generations.
Young mangrove saplings
3. The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool
The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool is a key part of WWF’s global strategy to bolster mangrove restoration and protection efforts in response to climate change.
The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool is an advanced predictive tool that provides local communities a step-by-step process for assessing climate vulnerability and selecting climate-smart management actions.
The innovative decision-support tool combines satellite data, climate models, and local knowledge to help conservation practitioners:
- identify the best areas for mangrove restoration and conservation, and
- select appropriate climate-smart actions to reduce the current and future impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems.
The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool, developed by WWF in partnership with the University of Queensland, has been applied in Colombia, Madagascar, Fiji, and Mexico.
Pinpointing the most viable areas for restoration and conservation, the tool enhances the resilience of vital mangrove ecosystems, essential for preserving biodiversity and supporting coastal communities. The ability to predict and plan for future environmental changes makes the Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool an invaluable resource in the global fight against climate change, supporting both ecological and human coastal resilience.
4. ManglarIA – AI for Mangroves
ManglarIA, supported by WWF and Google.org, uses advanced technologies (LIDAR-equipped drones, eDNA sensors, and automated weather stations) on the Pacific and Gulf coasts of Mexico, particularly within biosphere reserves like Marismas Nacionales, to monitor the health of mangrove ecosystems with unprecedented precision.
The project utilizes AI to analyze vast datasets, predicting the impacts of climate change on these critical ecosystems. This data-driven approach is essential for guiding effective restoration efforts.
In Mexico, WWF is working to protect and restore mangrove ecosystems because of their importance to biodiversity and the contributions they make to local livelihoods and economies. Primary threats to Mexican mangroves include coastal development and climate change. More frequent hurricanes, changing rainfall, and sea level rise all can harm these complex ecosystems and the carbon they store.
By offering detailed insights into how mangroves respond to environmental stresses, ManglarIA (Spanish for “AI for Mangroves”) ensures that local conservation strategies are both impactful and sustainable.
The project also plays a vital role in supporting the resilience of local communities who rely on healthy mangrove ecosystems for their livelihoods. Visit one such community with Nat Hab’s Great Gray Whales of Baja itinerary, when we explore El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve.
5. Community-Based Conservation in Madagascar’s Mangroves
Two percent of the world’s mangroves are found in Madagascar, and 20% of these have been deforested for timber, charcoal production, and agricultural expansion.
In the Nat Hab film below, Expedition Leader Rija Ratotonirinia shares, “The main threat for the animals, for biodiversity in Madagascar, is habitat loss. 90% of our forest is gone due to slash and burn. Slash and burn agriculture is still one of our traditional ways of growing rice.”
Across Madagascar WWF is focused on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and supporting alternative livelihoods, so local communities value mangrove ecosystems and do not feel pressure to clearcut for their livelihood or survival. Alternatives to clearcutting include small-scale freshwater fish farming and mangrove beekeeping for honey, as well as ecotourism.
“I wish that we could bring back all of the things like it used to be, but now we have hope. Conservation travel is the best way for Madagascar. We can base part of our economy in tourism because everything we have is unique. Our guests come to Madagascar because we have such a high level of endemism. Biodiversity is so amazing here. We have in Madagascar so many varieties of landscape as well. The local people, they are conscious of this.” Expedition Leader Rija Ratotonirinia
According to Lilia Rasolofomanana, WWF Madagascar’s Mangrove Coordinator, “WWF is now collaborating with… community-based organizations to reinforce the community management of the mangroves, to reduce or even stop the threats to mangroves, to promote climate-smart restoration of this ecosystem and to improve the communities’ livelihoods and resilience to climate change.
Witness Madagascar’s Mangroves with Us
If you’d like to witness—and photograph—mangroves, there’s no place on the planet like Madagascar. Ninety percent of Madagascar’s plant, mammal and reptile species are found nowhere else on Earth.
In 2025, Nat Hab launches a new itinerary for its Madagascar Wildlife Photo Expedition, including visits to mangrove ecosystems in both the far north and south of the island:
- Ifaty, on Madagascar’s southern coast, is a laid-back fishing village famed for its otherworldly and extraordinarily photogenic vegetation—spiny forest, barrel-like baobab trees and coastal mangroves. Bird life flourishes here, and we hope to catch a glimpse of the critically endangered Madagascar fish-eagle, one of the rarest birds of prey in the world. The landscape offers endless inspiration, from the stark vegetation to the diverse and threatened wildlife.
- We travel by boat to northwest Madagascar’s Moramba Bay where we take a sunset cruise through the mangroves, and you may also opt to explore the coastline by kayak.
For over 20 years, Nat Hab and WWF have partnered to offer conservation travel—sustainable travel that supports the protection of nature, wildlife and local communities. Travel has the power to protect nature, benefit communities and preserve cultural heritage in coastal communities where, with WWF’s support, mangroves are being protected, resored, and expanded.
