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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Djibouti

Generated 15 October 2026, 13:21 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 66,847 mapped features and 38,022 observations in 25 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 555 ha in 82 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.875 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 78.7% 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)
Mangrove82554.5100.0%6.76
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, Djibouti1460100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Djibouti2060100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Djibouti3200100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Djibouti2070100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Djibouti1640100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Djibouti880100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Djibouti820100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Djibouti790100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Djibouti690100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Djibouti520100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Djibouti530100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Djibouti480100
Development Corridors 33095
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)51095
Fibre Cable72095
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
Small airport1,979095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Carbon projects: Djibouti1090
Salt marsh (UNEP-WCMC): Djibouti1090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Djibouti5090

Recommendations

High 12 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Seagrass, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, Protected Areas & Landscapes, Land Use & Land Cover, People & Settlements, Wildlife & Habitats, Fire & Climate, Farming & Livelihoods, Mining, Oil & Licences, 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 10 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
30.5% of the 82 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 78.7% 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.
Low Net gain of mangrove since 1996
Global Mangrove Watch maps 502 ha of mangrove in Djibouti in 1996 and 548 ha in 2025: a net gain of 46 ha (9.2%), about 2 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.

Datasets & sources

DatasetPublisherFeatures
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)146
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)206
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)320
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)207
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)164
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)88
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)82
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)79
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)69
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)52
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)53
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, DjiboutiGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)48
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)WWF Kenya51
Fibre CableWWF Kenya72
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Carbon projects: DjiboutiBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley1
Salt marsh (UNEP-WCMC): DjiboutiUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT1
Community and nature projects (UNDP): DjiboutiUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)5

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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