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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-resilienceJune 04, 2026 2:00 PM | Stacey Plaisance splaisance@tulane.edu
A new study from Tulane University has found that after decades of loss from deforestation and coastal development, mangroves are expanding in many parts of the world, such as the U.S. Gulf Coast, including Louisiana, China and Australia. They are also thriving in the Ouvéa Atoll, pictured here in New Caledonia. (Photo by Daniel Friess)
Mangrove forests, once considered one of the world’s most threatened coastal ecosystems, are showing signs of recovery worldwide, according to new research from Tulane University that finds decades of losses largely offset by regrowth and expansion.
The study, 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.
The findings suggest a more hopeful trajectory for these ecosystems, which play a critical role in protecting coastlines, supporting fisheries and storing climate-warming 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 and lead author of the study. “This highlights their strong resilience and their potential as a powerful nature-based solution for climate mitigation and coastal protection.”
…
Zhen Zhang et al. , Unexpected expansion and regrowth in Earth’s mangrove forests over the past four decades. Science 392, 1082-1087(2026). DOI:10.1126/science.aec9773
A new study from Tulane University has found that after decades of loss from deforestation and coastal development, mangroves are expanding in many parts of the world, such as the U.S. Gulf Coast, including Louisiana, China and Australia. They are also thriving in the Ouvéa Atoll, pictured here in New Caledonia. (Photo by Daniel Friess)
Mangrove forests, once considered one of the world’s most threatened coastal ecosystems, are showing signs of recovery worldwide, according to new research from Tulane University that finds decades of losses largely offset by regrowth and expansion.
The study, 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.
The findings suggest a more hopeful trajectory for these ecosystems, which play a critical role in protecting coastlines, supporting fisheries and storing climate-warming 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 and lead author of the study. “This highlights their strong resilience and their potential as a powerful nature-based solution for climate mitigation and coastal protection.”
…
Will this trend last long? Rising seas could 'drown' mangroves and release carbon
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The findings show that, while carbon storage might increase in localised spots as sea levels rise, storage at the scale of whole forests is likely to decline over the next 100 years.
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The findings show that, while carbon storage might increase in localised spots as sea levels rise, storage at the scale of whole forests is likely to decline over the next 100 years.
…