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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Generated 15 October 2026, 15:11 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 1,223,598 mapped features and 43,448 observations in 81 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 19,618 ha in 1,520 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.089 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 96.8% of the area. 0 ha (0.0%) lies within 10 km of the LAPSSET development footprint.

Single mapping epoch (2019). Areas are geodesic hectares recalculated from geometry.

Species & formations

FormationPolygonsArea (ha)ShareMean patch (ha)
Mangrove1,52019,618.2100.0%12.91
Shannon evenness by area: 0.00

Pressure: LAPSSET and villages

Mangrove ha by distance from LAPSSET

Mangrove ha by distance from villages

Data quality

DatasetFeaturesRepairedScore
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo2840100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Democratic Republic of the Congo4560100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Democratic Republic of the Congo3940100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Democratic Republic of the Congo3390100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Democratic Republic of the Congo3180100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,5750100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,5200100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,2800100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,3460100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,3370100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Democratic Republic of the Congo1,7940100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Democratic Republic of the Congo2,3200100
Congo Basin1095
Salonga1095
Moderate Pressure1095
High Pressure1095
Bassin_Rutshuru1095
PNVi1095
High Biodiversity Areas3295
RDC_Grande_Rivieres5095
Hippos Sightings_20056095
AfricaPriorityLandscapes7295
RDC_Zones_CBNRM7095
Virunga Pressure map8495
RDC_Territoire9095
RDC_Territoire9095
Hippos Sightings_19749095
flr_99095
Sub_Watersheds11595
Oil_Blocks12095
Ug_Rw_Parks_Reserves12195
FLRi Countries13095
FLRi Countries13095
Chimps Sightings19095
Glaciers_199020095
NACOFA Initiatives23095
Planned Major Roads and Rails33095
Development Corridors 33095
RDC_Villages36095
Gorille Sightings39095
PA_with_Values40095
Camp_bracconiers44095
Lakes62095
Operational Land/Seascape701095
Operational Land/Seascape701095
Operational Landscape791395
Elephant Sightings95095
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_Seascape961695
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Lion Sightings198095
Protected Areas210495
Rivers228095
RDC_Rw233095
ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapes492495
Administration (Level 2)495195
Administration (Level 2)495195
Forest_Concessions5351195
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
RDC_Routes804095
Ug851195
AfricaPriority_River857095
RDC_Plantations_Ecomakala1,1841095
RDC_Rivieres1,212095
Small airport1,979095
Dams2,586095
Ug_Roads3,281095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Electricity Transmission Network9,759095
Divisions17,649995
Selected_Species_Oil_Impact17,779095
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Wetlands -Lakes -Reservoirs34,115195
Waterways35,619095
Carbon projects: Democratic Republic of the Congo5090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Democratic Republic of the Congo38090
Roads54,384095
Observation_ICCN101,621095
Settlement275,904095
Road Network584,033095

Recommendations

High 6 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Seagrass, Salt Marsh, Blue Carbon, Land Use & Land Cover, Farming & Livelihoods, Surveys & Field Data. Seagrass and salt marsh would come from UNEP-WCMC global datasets; carbon projects from the Verra and Gold Standard registries; community projects from partner programmes.
Action: Ingest the planned sources listed in the Source Catalogue, starting with Global Mangrove Watch, UNEP-WCMC seagrass and salt marsh, and the carbon registries.
High Licence terms to be confirmed for 67 datasets
Licence terms are being confirmed with the publisher. Atlas holds the data for scientific and internal use and shows the original attribution, but cannot grant bulk redistribution rights.
Action: Request written permission from WWF Kenya, KMFRI and KFS for redistribution and derivative products.
Medium Most polygons are very small, but most area sits in large stands
51.2% of the 1,520 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 96.8% of all mangrove area. Management and monitoring effort should focus on the large stands, while the small-patch tail needs checking against satellite imagery.
Action: Prioritise field verification of large stands; review the sub-0.1 ha tail for mapping artefacts.
Medium Net loss of mangrove since 1996
Global Mangrove Watch maps 19,698 ha of mangrove in Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1996 and 19,354 ha in 2025: a net loss of 344 ha (-1.7%), about 12 ha per year. This is the net balance of total mapped area; gains and losses inside the country can cancel out, so real loss may be larger.
Action: Overlay consecutive epochs to locate where the losses occurred and check them against pressures such as clearing, ports and aquaculture.

Datasets & sources

DatasetPublisherFeatures
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)284
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)456
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)394
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)339
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)318
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,575
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,520
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,280
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,346
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,337
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,794
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Democratic Republic of the CongoGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)2,320
Congo BasinWWF Kenya1
SalongaWWF Kenya1
Moderate PressureWWF Kenya1
High PressureWWF Kenya1
Bassin_RutshuruWWF Kenya1
PNViWWF Kenya1
High Biodiversity AreasWWF Kenya3
RDC_Grande_RivieresWWF Kenya5
Hippos Sightings_2005WWF Kenya6
AfricaPriorityLandscapesWWF Kenya7
RDC_Zones_CBNRMWWF Kenya7
Virunga Pressure mapWWF Kenya8
RDC_TerritoireWWF Kenya9
RDC_TerritoireWWF Kenya9
Hippos Sightings_1974WWF Kenya9
flr_9WWF Kenya9
Sub_WatershedsWWF Kenya11
Oil_BlocksWWF Kenya12
Ug_Rw_Parks_ReservesWWF Kenya12
FLRi CountriesWWF Kenya13
FLRi CountriesWWF Kenya13
Chimps SightingsWWF Kenya19
Glaciers_1990WWF Kenya20
NACOFA InitiativesWWF Kenya23
Planned Major Roads and RailsWWF Kenya33
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
RDC_VillagesWWF Kenya36
Gorille SightingsWWF Kenya39
PA_with_ValuesWWF Kenya40
Camp_bracconiersWWF Kenya44
LakesWWF Kenya62
Operational Land/SeascapeWWF Kenya70
Operational Land/SeascapeWWF Kenya70
Operational LandscapeWWF Kenya79
Elephant SightingsWWF Kenya95
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_SeascapeWWF Kenya96
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
Lion SightingsWWF Kenya198
Protected AreasWWF Kenya210
RiversWWF Kenya228
RDC_RwWWF Kenya233
ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapesWWF Kenya492
Administration (Level 2)WWF Kenya495
Administration (Level 2)WWF Kenya495
Forest_ConcessionsWWF Kenya535
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
RDC_RoutesWWF Kenya804
UgWWF Kenya851
AfricaPriority_RiverWWF Kenya857
RDC_Plantations_EcomakalaWWF Kenya1,184
RDC_RivieresWWF Kenya1,212
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DamsWWF Kenya2,586
Ug_RoadsWWF Kenya3,281
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Electricity Transmission NetworkWWF Kenya9,759
DivisionsWWF Kenya17,649
Selected_Species_Oil_ImpactWWF Kenya17,779
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Wetlands -Lakes -ReservoirsWWF Kenya34,115
WaterwaysWWF Kenya35,619
Carbon projects: Democratic Republic of the CongoBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley5
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Democratic Republic of the CongoUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)38
RoadsWWF Kenya54,384
Observation_ICCNWWF Kenya101,621
SettlementWWF Kenya275,904
Road NetworkWWF Kenya584,033

Methods & limits

Areas and lengths are recomputed on the WGS 84 ellipsoid; units are harmonised (ha, m, %, UTC). The mapping is a single 2019 epoch; the source publishes no licence; field plots are a sample; scenario figures are illustrative assumptions. Cite the original publishers listed above. Full methods: Methodologies page.
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