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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Liberia

Generated 15 October 2026, 06:29 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 139,661 mapped features and 37,971 observations in 27 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 20,124 ha in 5,140 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.178 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 87.4% 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)
Mangrove5,14020,124.1100.0%3.92
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, Liberia1,8490100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Liberia1,7890100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Liberia1,4870100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Liberia1,2570100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Liberia1,3510100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Liberia5,5940100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Liberia5,1400100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Liberia4,6040100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Liberia4,6050100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Liberia5,2420100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Liberia5,5570100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Liberia5,7080100
Biodiversity Hotspots12095
Planned Major Roads and Rails33095
Development Corridors 33095
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Rivers228095
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
Small airport1,979095
Dams2,586095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Electricity Transmission Network9,759095
Divisions17,649995
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Liberia8090

Recommendations

High 14 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Seagrass, 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 14 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
46.1% of the 5,140 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 87.4% 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.
Medium Net loss of mangrove since 1996
Global Mangrove Watch maps 19,945 ha of mangrove in Liberia in 1996 and 19,355 ha in 2025: a net loss of 590 ha (-3.0%), about 20 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, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,849
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,789
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,487
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,257
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,351
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)5,594
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)5,140
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)4,604
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)4,605
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)5,242
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)5,557
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, LiberiaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)5,708
Biodiversity HotspotsWWF Kenya12
Planned Major Roads and RailsWWF Kenya33
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
RiversWWF Kenya228
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DamsWWF Kenya2,586
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Electricity Transmission NetworkWWF Kenya9,759
DivisionsWWF Kenya17,649
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Community and nature projects (UNDP): LiberiaUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)8

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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