Mangroves occur along a coastal strip varying in width between a few metres and several kilometres. Pure stands of white mangrove (Avicennia nitida) are bordering the sea-front followed by Laguncularia racemosa and sometimes by grasses. Along the estuaries, the white mangrove is replaced by red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Further inland, mangroves are mixed with ita palm (Mauritia flexuosa), which is generally predominant, and Pterocarpus officinalis, a tree with characteristic buttresses. Grasses are often found alongside mangroves.
Centre d'Etudes de Geographie Tropicale. 1979. Vegetation-La Guyane: Plance 12. Atlas des Departements d'Outre Mer. Scale 1:1 000 000.
Year |
Area |
Source |
Trend |
Methodology/Comments |
1979 |
94 700 |
Anon. 1979 |
Cited in: WCMC. 2000. Coral reefs and mangroves of the world. http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine/data/coral_mangrove/ | |
1979 |
95 100 |
Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D., eds. 1997. World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp. |
Map analysis. | |
1980 |
70 000 |
Unesco/C.I.T.V. n.d. Vegetation Map of South America. |
Cited in: FAO, UNEP. 1981. Los Recursos Forestales de la America Tropical. Proyecto de Evaluación de los Recursos Forestales Tropicales (en el marco de SINUVIMA). FAO, UNEP, Rome, 349 pp. | |
1980 |
55 000 |
FAO, UNEP. 1981. Los Recursos Forestales de la America Tropical. Proyecto de Evaluación de los Recursos Forestales Tropicales (en el marco de SINUVIMA). FAO, UNEP, Rome, 349 pp. |
X |
Map analysis and estimation for 1980. |
No major changes appear to have occurred in this country over the last twenty years.
