Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future

The policy brief highlights that mangroves are among the world's most threatened vegetation types, with over 20% lost in the last 30 years. It emphasizes that in Africa, mangroves often overlap with fossil fuel deposits and infrastructure projects, leading to degradation. The author advocates for the use of ecosystem valuations, integrated coastal zone management, and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making to reconcile economic growth with biodiversity conservation. Proposed interventions include the adoption of 'no net loss' policies, the use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), and the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and Blue Carbon trading to provide financial incentives for conservation.

• Mangroves are critically threatened globally, with more than 20% of the world's mangroves lost in the last 30 years, and many of the remaining forests are in a degraded state.
• Sub-Saharan Africa contains 20% of the world's mangroves, with the largest forests located in Madagascar, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and Nigeria; these areas frequently coincide with proposed infrastructure projects and fossil fuel deposits.
• The economic value of mangrove ecosystem services is often underestimated in development calculations, but the 2010 World Atlas of Mangroves estimates their global value at $1.6 billion annually, with yields per hectare between $2,000 and $9,000.
• Effective mangrove protection requires the adoption of robust legal frameworks and tools, such as 'no net loss' policies used in the US and Australia, or strict licensing and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) as seen in Mozambique, Tanzania, Belize, and Mexico.
• Sustainable land-use alternatives have been implemented to reduce mangrove firewood demand in Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and Guinea Conakry through improved salt production and fish smoking methods.
• Market-based mechanisms, including Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and the trading of Blue Carbon, can provide financial incentives for conservation and reduce the burden on traditional management entities.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2013). Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Policy-Briefing-74.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Policy-Briefing-74.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Policy-Briefing-74.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2013governing, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Policy-Briefing-74.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }