Current Status of Mangroves Worldwide

抄録

This paper describes, as a background, events that led to the publication of the 1997 World Mangrove Atlas and the 2010 World Atlas of Mangroves. The 2010 Atlas produced updated country-by-country man grove distribution maps using remote sensing techniques and assessed the status of mangroves in each country. The current area occupied by mangroves has been estimated to be 152,360 km² and about 0.7% of that is lost annually. It is hoped that the 2010 Atlas will serve as a baseline for future gain/loss assessment. Largely based on the findings of the 2010 Atlas, this paper highlights the world mangrove distribution, value of mangroves, impacts and threats to mangrove ecosystems, management and conservation of mangroves, restoration and afforestation efforts, and international cooperation for preservation of mangrove ecosystems. Although the rate of mangrove deforestation has declined in recent years, much needs to be done towards balancing man grove utilization and conservation and achieving the goals of sustainable management.