Mangrove forests rebounded globally after 2010

NASA reported on Friday 13 November 2026 that a global rebound in mangrove forests began around 2010. The expansion was led by mangrove forests in Asia, Australia, and South America. Research published in Science suggested that the trend had reversed decades of loss and decline.

The researchers analyzed Landsat imagery collected between 1984 and 2023. They searched for 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 increase of nearly 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) of mangroves after 2010.

Many mangrove forests had denser, more closed canopies than they did in 2010. The researchers associated this change with healthier, less degraded forests, particularly in South America. Environmental scientist Zhen Zhang said about two-thirds of the expansion came from mangroves colonizing new areas. The other third came from restoration and regrowth in degraded areas.

One reversal occurred in Southeast Asia, especially Burma (Myanmar). Burma lost mangroves rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s as agriculture, aquaculture, and firewood harvesting expanded in coastal areas. The trend reversed around 2010. The authors attributed the turnaround to increased awareness and restoration efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, stronger legal protections for forests, and sedimentation that created new mudflats. Burma lost 28.6 percent of its mangrove area between the 1980s and 2010, but its mangrove area grew about 10 percent since then.

Sediment deposition created new mudflats around the mouth of the Amazon River and in northern Australia. Mangroves colonized those areas and increased steadily in both regions since the 1990s. Substantial losses in the Niger Delta reduced total mangrove area in West and Central Africa since 2010. Tropical cyclones also caused widespread degradation in North America and southern Africa.

Mangrove trees averaged about 13 meters (43 feet) in height. The announcement said mangrove ecosystems stored up to four times as much carbon as taller inland tropical forests. Their roots provided habitat and nursery grounds for fish, shrimp, crabs, and other marine life. Zhang said conservation and slower deforestation could produce large gains when combined with natural expansion and regeneration.