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ATLAS REPORT
Country report: Gabon
Generated 15 October 2026, 06:28 from live Atlas data
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Executive summary
Atlas holds 490,401 mapped features and 294,972 observations in 83 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 194,465 ha in 7,554 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.179 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 98.1% 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
| Formation | Polygons | Area (ha) | Share | Mean patch (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangrove | 7,554 | 194,464.5 | 100.0% | 25.74 |
Shannon evenness by area: 0.00
Pressure: LAPSSET and villages
Mangrove ha by distance from LAPSSET
Mangrove ha by distance from villages
Data quality
| Dataset | Features | Repaired | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, Gabon | 4,101 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Gabon | 4,907 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Gabon | 4,871 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Gabon | 3,780 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Gabon | 3,859 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Gabon | 8,322 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Gabon | 7,554 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Gabon | 7,754 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Gabon | 7,760 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Gabon | 8,992 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Gabon | 9,848 | 0 | 100 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Gabon | 9,847 | 0 | 100 |
| TRIDOM Boundary | 1 | 0 | 95 |
| Colleges | 1 | 0 | 95 |
| Gabon Segment | 1 | 0 | 95 |
| Railways | 2 | 0 | 95 |
| TRIDOM Country Intersection | 3 | 0 | 95 |
| Possible Route of Railway | 3 | 0 | 95 |
| GAB_COG_CMR | 3 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Mining Concessions SIGHT 2021 | 3 | 0 | 95 |
| Dams | 4 | 0 | 95 |
| Ramsar sites | 4 | 0 | 95 |
| National Park | 8 | 0 | 95 |
| Principal Mining Sites | 8 | 0 | 95 |
| Proposed Wildlife Corridor | 10 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom_buffer_OSM_airports | 10 | 0 | 95 |
| Airports | 11 | 0 | 95 |
| WCB_WDPA | 11 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom WWF Office Locations | 12 | 0 | 95 |
| FLRi Countries | 13 | 0 | 95 |
| FLRi Countries | 13 | 0 | 95 |
| Exploration Permit | 15 | 0 | 95 |
| Protected Areas | 15 | 0 | 95 |
| Schools | 19 | 0 | 95 |
| Home Bases | 26 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Main Towns | 31 | 0 | 95 |
| Planned Major Roads and Rails | 33 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Agricultural Industrial Plantations Complete | 37 | 1 | 95 |
| Tridom Arrondissements | 40 | 0 | 95 |
| Elephant Population Density | 42 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Agricultural Industrial Plantations Complete | 45 | 1 | 95 |
| Gabon Departments | 49 | 3 | 95 |
| Operational Land/Seascape | 70 | 10 | 95 |
| Operational Land/Seascape | 70 | 10 | 95 |
| Operational Landscape | 79 | 13 | 95 |
| Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_Seascape | 96 | 16 | 95 |
| Forestry Commissions & UFA PNNP | 108 | 2 | 95 |
| Congo_Basin_Tridom_Forest_Concessions | 120 | 2 | 95 |
| Fibre Cable Landing Stations | 126 | 0 | 95 |
| Community Forests | 133 | 0 | 95 |
| Medical Facilities | 134 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Complete Mining Concessions | 146 | 0 | 95 |
| Roads | 180 | 0 | 95 |
| Protected Areas | 210 | 4 | 95 |
| Rivers | 228 | 0 | 95 |
| Existing Railway Lines | 323 | 0 | 95 |
| Gabon Tridom Important Sites | 344 | 0 | 95 |
| Clearings | 486 | 0 | 95 |
| ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapes | 492 | 4 | 95 |
| Administration (Level 2) | 495 | 1 | 95 |
| Administration (Level 2) | 495 | 1 | 95 |
| Forest_Concessions | 535 | 11 | 95 |
| Power Plants (Power output MW) | 642 | 0 | 95 |
| AfricaPriority_River | 857 | 0 | 95 |
| Villages | 1,050 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Villages | 1,051 | 0 | 95 |
| Rivers | 1,585 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Rivers: complete | 1,585 | 0 | 95 |
| Small airport | 1,979 | 0 | 95 |
| Dams | 2,586 | 0 | 95 |
| Population Clusters | 2,691 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom Roads: complete | 3,741 | 0 | 95 |
| Districts | 6,099 | 13 | 95 |
| World Database on Protected Areas | 7,438 | 1 | 95 |
| Electricity Transmission Network | 9,759 | 0 | 95 |
| Tridom_OSM_Roads | 11,963 | 0 | 95 |
| Selected_Species_Oil_Impact | 17,779 | 0 | 95 |
| Irrigated Areas | 23,095 | 1 | 95 |
| Agro-Ecological Zones | 25,791 | 17 | 95 |
| Community and nature projects (UNDP): Gabon | 9 | 0 | 90 |
| Roads | 54,384 | 0 | 95 |
| Observation_ICCN | 101,621 | 0 | 95 |
| Forest Roads | 127,758 | 0 | 95 |
Recommendations
High 9 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Seagrass, Salt Marsh, Blue Carbon, Carbon Projects, Land Use & Land Cover, Wildlife & Habitats, Fire & Climate, 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 70 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
46.0% of the 7,554 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 98.1% 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 192,088 ha of mangrove in Gabon in 1996 and 193,598 ha in 2025: a net gain of 1,510 ha (0.8%), about 52 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
| Dataset | Publisher | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 4,101 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 4,907 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 4,871 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 3,780 |
| Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 3,859 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 8,322 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 7,554 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 7,754 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 7,760 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 8,992 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 9,848 |
| Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Gabon | Global Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA) | 9,847 |
| TRIDOM Boundary | WWF Kenya | 1 |
| Colleges | WWF Kenya | 1 |
| Gabon Segment | WWF Kenya | 1 |
| Railways | WWF Kenya | 2 |
| TRIDOM Country Intersection | WWF Kenya | 3 |
| Possible Route of Railway | WWF Kenya | 3 |
| GAB_COG_CMR | WWF Kenya | 3 |
| Tridom Mining Concessions SIGHT 2021 | WWF Kenya | 3 |
| Dams | WWF Kenya | 4 |
| Ramsar sites | WWF Kenya | 4 |
| National Park | WWF Kenya | 8 |
| Principal Mining Sites | WWF Kenya | 8 |
| Proposed Wildlife Corridor | WWF Kenya | 10 |
| Tridom_buffer_OSM_airports | WWF Kenya | 10 |
| Airports | WWF Kenya | 11 |
| WCB_WDPA | WWF Kenya | 11 |
| Tridom WWF Office Locations | WWF Kenya | 12 |
| FLRi Countries | WWF Kenya | 13 |
| FLRi Countries | WWF Kenya | 13 |
| Exploration Permit | WWF Kenya | 15 |
| Protected Areas | WWF Kenya | 15 |
| Schools | WWF Kenya | 19 |
| Home Bases | WWF Kenya | 26 |
| Tridom Main Towns | WWF Kenya | 31 |
| Planned Major Roads and Rails | WWF Kenya | 33 |
| Tridom Agricultural Industrial Plantations Complete | WWF Kenya | 37 |
| Tridom Arrondissements | WWF Kenya | 40 |
| Elephant Population Density | WWF Kenya | 42 |
| Tridom Agricultural Industrial Plantations Complete | WWF Kenya | 45 |
| Gabon Departments | WWF Kenya | 49 |
| Operational Land/Seascape | WWF Kenya | 70 |
| Operational Land/Seascape | WWF Kenya | 70 |
| Operational Landscape | WWF Kenya | 79 |
| Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_Seascape | WWF Kenya | 96 |
| Forestry Commissions & UFA PNNP | WWF Kenya | 108 |
| Congo_Basin_Tridom_Forest_Concessions | WWF Kenya | 120 |
| Fibre Cable Landing Stations | WWF Kenya | 126 |
| Community Forests | WWF Kenya | 133 |
| Medical Facilities | WWF Kenya | 134 |
| Tridom Complete Mining Concessions | WWF Kenya | 146 |
| Roads | WWF Kenya | 180 |
| Protected Areas | WWF Kenya | 210 |
| Rivers | WWF Kenya | 228 |
| Existing Railway Lines | WWF Kenya | 323 |
| Gabon Tridom Important Sites | WWF Kenya | 344 |
| Clearings | WWF Kenya | 486 |
| ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapes | WWF Kenya | 492 |
| Administration (Level 2) | WWF Kenya | 495 |
| Administration (Level 2) | WWF Kenya | 495 |
| Forest_Concessions | WWF Kenya | 535 |
| Power Plants (Power output MW) | WWF Kenya | 642 |
| AfricaPriority_River | WWF Kenya | 857 |
| Villages | WWF Kenya | 1,050 |
| Tridom Villages | WWF Kenya | 1,051 |
| Rivers | WWF Kenya | 1,585 |
| Tridom Rivers: complete | WWF Kenya | 1,585 |
| Small airport | WWF Kenya | 1,979 |
| Dams | WWF Kenya | 2,586 |
| Population Clusters | WWF Kenya | 2,691 |
| Tridom Roads: complete | WWF Kenya | 3,741 |
| Districts | WWF Kenya | 6,099 |
| World Database on Protected Areas | WWF Kenya | 7,438 |
| Electricity Transmission Network | WWF Kenya | 9,759 |
| Tridom_OSM_Roads | WWF Kenya | 11,963 |
| Selected_Species_Oil_Impact | WWF Kenya | 17,779 |
| Irrigated Areas | WWF Kenya | 23,095 |
| Agro-Ecological Zones | WWF Kenya | 25,791 |
| Community and nature projects (UNDP): Gabon | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | 9 |
| Roads | WWF Kenya | 54,384 |
| Observation_ICCN | WWF Kenya | 101,621 |
| Forest Roads | WWF Kenya | 127,758 |
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.