Mangrove forests occur along part of the Niari river and around some of its associated lagoons, where Rhizophora racemosa (dominant species), R. harrisonii, R. mangle, Avicennia africana, and Conocarpus erectus, are present. The best-developed mangroves ecosystems are situated in Malonda and Conkouati Lagoons. The majority of the mangroves are restricted to coastal estuaries and lagoons; there are no mangrove forests along the sea front.
Diop, S. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions, Part II - Africa. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports vol.3, ISME, ITTO. 262 pp.
Hughes, R.H. & Hughes, J.S. 1992. A Directory of African Wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK/UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya/WCMC, Cambridge, UK. 820 pp.
Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. & Field, C.D. eds. 1997 World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp.
Year |
Area |
Source |
Trend |
Methodology/Comments |
1980 |
250 000 |
FAO, UNEP. 1981. Tropical Forest Resources Assessment Project, Forest Resources of Tropical Africa. Part II: Country Briefs FAO, UNEP 586pp. |
The figure refers to coastal forests. The exact percentage of mangroves is not provided. | |
1992 |
18 800 |
Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D. eds. 1997 World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp. |
X |
Map analysis. Scale 1:1 000 000. |
1995 |
12 000 |
Saenger, P. and Bellan, M.F. 1995. The Mangrove vegetation of the Atlantic coast of Africa. Universitè de Toulouse Press, Toulouse 96 pp. |
X |
Secondary reference, no primary source provided. The "Year" is the publication year. |
The estimates for 1980 and 1990 are based on regression analysis adjusted with expert estimate, while the 2000 figure has been calculated applying the FRA 2000 (FAO, 2001) annual forest cover change rate for 1990-2000 (-0.1 percent) to the most recent, reliable figure.
