2026-05-15 · percent of historical mangrove area
A fifth of mangroves are already gone
Coastal forests buffer storms and nurseries for fish. Shrimp farms and ports cut them down.
Every stretch of mangrove cleared takes a storm buffer and a fish nursery with it. About 22% of the world's mangroves are already gone — cut since the 1980s for shrimp farms and ports — leaving 78% of historical mangrove area standing as of 2026.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of historical mangrove area (0.1% of mangrove extent) · 1,000 cells
Context
Mangroves are coastal forests that stand between land and sea, where they blunt storm surge and give young fish a place to grow. Clearing them for shrimp ponds and port facilities removes those services along with the trees.
The 22% loss share is rounded from FAO and Global Mangrove Watch estimates that fall between 20% and 25%, and it covers mangrove area cleared since the 1980s. Global Mangrove Watch tracks habitat extent, net change, and clearing alerts on coastlines worldwide.
As of 2026, 78% of historical mangrove area remains. Where that forest still stands, so does the storm protection and nursery habitat that cleared coastlines have lost.
FAO / Global Mangrove Watch ~20–25% loss, rounded.
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