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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Comoros

Generated 15 October 2026, 09:36 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 58,931 mapped features and 38,022 observations in 23 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 126 ha in 53 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.961 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 25.8% 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)
Mangrove53126.1100.0%2.38
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, Comoros160100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Comoros180100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Comoros160100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Comoros170100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Comoros160100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Comoros570100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Comoros530100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Comoros490100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Comoros530100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Comoros470100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Comoros460100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Comoros420100
NMC1095
polygons11095
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)51095
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Small airport1,979095
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Carbon projects: Comoros1090
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Comoros1090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Comoros7090

Recommendations

High 11 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Salt Marsh, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, 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 Net loss of mangrove since 1996
Global Mangrove Watch maps 138 ha of mangrove in Comoros in 1996 and 123 ha in 2025: a net loss of 15 ha (-10.7%), about 1 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.
High Licence terms to be confirmed for 8 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
18.9% of the 53 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 25.8% 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.

Datasets & sources

DatasetPublisherFeatures
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2020, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)16
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)18
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)16
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)17
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)16
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)57
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)53
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)49
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)53
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)47
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)46
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, ComorosGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)42
NMCWWF Kenya1
polygonsWWF Kenya11
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)WWF Kenya51
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Carbon projects: ComorosBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley1
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): ComorosUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT1
Community and nature projects (UNDP): ComorosUnited 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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