STATUS AND TRENDS IN MANGROVE AREA EXTENT WORLDWIDE

Bahamas

Vegetation description

There are 20 mangrove sites spread all over the archipelago and 10 protected areas include mangroves. Mangroves form a major vegetation type on some of the islands, with particular concentration on Great Nicaragua, the Bight of Aklins (between Crooked Island and Aklins Island), the western shores of Andros and Great Abaco and the northern shore of Grand Bahama. Mangrove forests are dominated by Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle.

Scott, D.A. & Carbonell, M. 1986. A Directory of Neotropical Wetlands. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK; 684 pp.
Lacerda, L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions. Vol. 2 Part I- Latin America. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp.
Spalding M., Blasco F. & Field, C.D., eds. 1997. World mangrove atlas. The International Society for Mangroves Ecosystems. Okinawa, Japan, 178 pp.

National level mangrove area estimates

Year

Area
(ha)

Source

Trend

Methodology/Comments

1986

428 600

Russell, C. 2000. Bahamas Country Report: Forestry Outlook Study for the Caribbean. In Latin American and the Caribbean Forestry Comission. 20th session

Extent of the entire wetlands. The percentage of mangroves is not known.

1991

233 200

Snedaker, S.C. 1991. Personal Communication

Cited in: Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D., eds. 1997. World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp.

1991

141 957

Bacon P.R. 1993. Mangroves in the Lesser Antilles, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. In: Lacerda L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions, Part I - Latin America. p. 155 210 Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp.

X

Ground survey.

1992

211 400

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. Scake 1:500 000.

Trends in mangrove area extent over time

The estimates for 1980 and 1990 have been calculated applying the FRA 1990 (FAO, 1995) annual forest cover change rate for 1980-1990 (-2.1 percent) while the estimate for 2000 is based on expert estimate.

Year	Area (ha)	Source	Trend	Methodology/Comments
1986	428 600	Russell, C. 2000. Bahamas Country Report: Forestry Outlook Study for the Caribbean. In Latin American and the Caribbean Forestry Comission. 20th session		Extent of the entire wetlands. The percentage of mangroves is not known.
1991	233 200	Snedaker, S.C. 1991. Personal Communication		Cited in: Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D., eds. 1997. World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp.
1991	141 957	Bacon P.R. 1993. Mangroves in the Lesser Antilles, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. In: Lacerda L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions, Part I - Latin America. p. 155 210 Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp.	X	Ground survey.
1992	211 400	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. Scake 1:500 000.