Ambitious goals for global mangrove conservation and restoration
File(s)
Published online version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Generic global conservation targets lack the ambition required for certain habitats of critical value for biodiversity and human well-being. Developing more challenging targets for such habitats may offer a solution. Mangrove forests provide an example: any and all future loss will have negative repercussions, while many impacts could be reversed through extensive restoration. The Global Mangrove Alliance, an international grouping of 100 civil society and academic partners, has set goals to halt anthropogenic losses, accelerate restoration and greatly enhance protection by 2030. Using global-scale data, we estimate that achieving these goals will avoid losses of some 1500 km2; restore some 4000 km2; and secure an additional 36 000 km2 of mangroves under effective and equitable protection. Multiple benefits will follow, and we present values for carbon storage gains and avoided losses. Global datasets can guide broad approaches, while quantifying the challenges and benefits provides inspiration and impetus for change.
Date Issued
2026-10-27
Date Acceptance
2026-08-21
Citation
Ambio, 2026
ISSN
0044-7447
Publisher
Springer
Journal / Book Title
Ambio
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/42944985
PII: 10.1007/s13280-026-02481-0
Subjects
Biodiversity targets
Blue carbon
Fisheries
Mangrove forest
Protected areas
Restoration
Publication Status
Published online
Coverage Spatial
Sweden
Date Publish Online
2026-10-27