TulaneUniversity: "[Global mangrove forests rebound, offering hopeful sign for climate and coastal resilience](https://news.tulane.edu/pr/global-mangrove-forests-rebound-offering-hopeful-sign-climate-and-coastal-resilience)." Mangrove forests, once considered one of the world’s most threatened coastal ecosystems, are showing signs of recovery worldwide, according to a new study from Tulane University researchers that finds decades of losses largely offset by regrowth and expansion. "The [study](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aec9773), based on four decades of satellite data and published in the journal *Science*, finds that mangrove forests worldwide are no longer in net decline and are now growing overall."

After decades of loss driven by deforestation and coastal development, mangroves are expanding in many regions, largely through natural regeneration and expansion into newly formed coastal areas. "Louisiana has also seen an overall increase in mangroves over the past four decades, underscoring the broader regional shift. "Findings suggest a more hopeful trajectory for these ecosystems, which play a critical role in protecting coastlines, supporting fisheries and storing carbon." 

“After decades of loss, we’re finally seeing a global turning point for mangroves,” said Zhen Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar at Tulane University [School of Science and Engineering](https://sse.tulane.edu/) and lead author. 'Mangrove forests declined through much of the late 20th century, losing nearly 2,900 square kilometers between the 1980s and 2010, but during the past 16 years, gains have outpaced losses.' By 2023, mangrove areas had rebounded, resulting in only about a 1% net decline over the entire four-decade period—a much smaller loss than previously estimated. "The recovery is being driven by a combination of restoration efforts and natural processes." 

The broader concern however is that sea level rise \[SLR\] may outpace the restoration, leaving them to drown from high water + intense storms. My wife + I recall with great affection a guided trip into the mangroves of El Salvador several years ago.

Mangroves Sink or Swim