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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Guinea-Bissau

Generated 15 October 2026, 06:30 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 231,506 mapped features and 37,971 observations in 23 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 297,120 ha in 12,944 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.175 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 97.4% 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)
Mangrove12,944297,120.3100.0%22.95
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, Guinea-Bissau11,7630100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Guinea-Bissau13,9230100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Guinea-Bissau13,7100100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Guinea-Bissau11,5250100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Guinea-Bissau11,7520100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Guinea-Bissau15,2710100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Guinea-Bissau12,9440100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Guinea-Bissau12,2620100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Guinea-Bissau11,9490100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Guinea-Bissau13,3750100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Guinea-Bissau13,5030100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Guinea-Bissau14,3640100
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Rivers228095
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
Small airport1,979095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Electricity Transmission Network9,759095
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Guinea-Bissau1090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Guinea-Bissau7090

Recommendations

High 13 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Salt Marsh, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, Carbon Projects, 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 9 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
41.1% of the 12,944 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 97.4% 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 277,700 ha of mangrove in Guinea-Bissau in 1996 and 295,115 ha in 2025: a net gain of 17,415 ha (6.3%), about 601 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, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)11,763
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)13,923
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)13,710
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)11,525
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)11,752
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)15,271
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)12,944
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)12,262
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)11,949
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)13,375
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)13,503
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Guinea-BissauGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)14,364
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
RiversWWF Kenya228
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Electricity Transmission NetworkWWF Kenya9,759
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Guinea-BissauUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT1
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Guinea-BissauUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)7

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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