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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Mozambique

Generated 15 October 2026, 12:23 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 2,544,532 mapped features and 63,398 observations in 91 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 306,827 ha in 24,899 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.170 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 95.2% 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)
Mangrove24,899306,827.3100.0%12.32
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, Mozambique30,7310100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Mozambique22,1820100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Mozambique22,5640100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Mozambique24,4220100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Mozambique23,2460100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Mozambique30,6930100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Mozambique24,8990100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Mozambique21,9450100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Mozambique18,2870100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Mozambique19,1410100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Mozambique18,9190100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Mozambique17,2650100
Mozambique +EEZ1095
Niassa NR1095
Ramsar Site1095
Coastal East Africa1095
Coastal East Africa Marine1095
polygons1095
Mozambique +EEZ1095
Niassa NR1095
Ramsar Site1095
National_Parks3095
Oil and Gas Basins4095
Basins_KAZA4095
polygons4095
Corridors6095
EAC_MZQ_ForestProgramme_Countries8095
Regions/Provinces9195
flr_99095
polygons11095
Cities/Municipalities12095
Biodiversity Hotspots12095
Cities/Municipalities12095
FLRi Countries13095
FLRi Countries13095
polygons17095
Basin20195
Planned Major Roads and Rails33095
Development Corridors 33095
Demography (FB AI- 2018)45095
SADC_TFCAs56195
Basin (Hydroshed Level 6)59795
Districts/Counties61395
Operational Land/Seascape701095
Operational Land/Seascape701095
Operational Landscape791395
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_Seascape961695
basins_names_hydroshed113795
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Join_Features_to_Countries_RFP152095
Mining concessions in Mozambique (2010)180095
Major Rivers211095
Major Rivers211095
Rivers228095
Main Roads413095
ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapes492495
Administration (Level 2)495195
Administration (Level 2)495195
Wards564595
Basin (Hydroshed Level 8)580795
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
AfricaPriority_River857095
urt_catchments1,4841895
Main Roads1,598095
Small airport1,979095
Dams2,586095
Basin (Hydroshed Level 10)2,6961095
Roads4,946095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
urt_basin7,740595
Rivers8,997095
Electricity Transmission Network9,759095
Wetlands/Swamps12,039095
Fire Incidences Grid (2000-2019)14,692095
MARXAN-CRUZ PU SF-Score14,692095
MARXAN-CRUZ PU Status14,692095
MARXAN-CRUZ PU SF-Score14,692095
MARXAN-CRUZ PU Status14,692095
LULC 2010 NAFORMA16,8711,25995
Divisions17,649995
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
lulc_2015_naforma33,435095
Carbon projects: Mozambique14090
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Mozambique179090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Mozambique13090
LULC 2025 BAU Min. Scenario181,2383,34195
LULC 2025 GE Scenario329,3688,51795
LULC 2025 BAU Max. Scenario525,7567,95995
FB-AI-Population Distribution969,481095

Recommendations

High 6 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Salt Marsh, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, Wildlife & Habitats, 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 76 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
42.0% of the 24,899 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 95.2% 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 324,693 ha of mangrove in Mozambique in 1996 and 311,268 ha in 2025: a net loss of 13,425 ha (-4.1%), about 463 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, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)30,731
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)22,182
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)22,564
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)24,422
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)23,246
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)30,693
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)24,899
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)21,945
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)18,287
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)19,141
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)18,919
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, MozambiqueGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)17,265
Mozambique +EEZWWF Kenya1
Niassa NRWWF Kenya1
Ramsar SiteWWF Kenya1
Coastal East AfricaWWF Kenya1
Coastal East Africa MarineWWF Kenya1
polygonsWWF Kenya1
Mozambique +EEZWWF Kenya1
Niassa NRWWF Kenya1
Ramsar SiteWWF Kenya1
National_ParksWWF Kenya3
Oil and Gas BasinsWWF Kenya4
Basins_KAZAWWF Kenya4
polygonsWWF Kenya4
CorridorsWWF Kenya6
EAC_MZQ_ForestProgramme_CountriesWWF Kenya8
Regions/ProvincesWWF Kenya9
flr_9WWF Kenya9
polygonsWWF Kenya11
Cities/MunicipalitiesWWF Kenya12
Biodiversity HotspotsWWF Kenya12
Cities/MunicipalitiesWWF Kenya12
FLRi CountriesWWF Kenya13
FLRi CountriesWWF Kenya13
polygonsWWF Kenya17
BasinWWF Kenya20
Planned Major Roads and RailsWWF Kenya33
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
Demography (FB AI- 2018)WWF Kenya45
SADC_TFCAsWWF Kenya56
Basin (Hydroshed Level 6)WWF Kenya59
Districts/CountiesWWF Kenya61
Operational Land/SeascapeWWF Kenya70
Operational Land/SeascapeWWF Kenya70
Operational LandscapeWWF Kenya79
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_SeascapeWWF Kenya96
basins_names_hydroshedWWF Kenya113
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
Join_Features_to_Countries_RFPWWF Kenya152
Mining concessions in Mozambique (2010)WWF Kenya180
Major RiversWWF Kenya211
Major RiversWWF Kenya211
RiversWWF Kenya228
Main RoadsWWF Kenya413
ProtectedAreas_AfricaPriorityLandscapesWWF Kenya492
Administration (Level 2)WWF Kenya495
Administration (Level 2)WWF Kenya495
WardsWWF Kenya564
Basin (Hydroshed Level 8)WWF Kenya580
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
AfricaPriority_RiverWWF Kenya857
urt_catchmentsWWF Kenya1,484
Main RoadsWWF Kenya1,598
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DamsWWF Kenya2,586
Basin (Hydroshed Level 10)WWF Kenya2,696
RoadsWWF Kenya4,946
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
urt_basinWWF Kenya7,740
RiversWWF Kenya8,997
Electricity Transmission NetworkWWF Kenya9,759
Wetlands/SwampsWWF Kenya12,039
Fire Incidences Grid (2000-2019)WWF Kenya14,692
MARXAN-CRUZ PU SF-ScoreWWF Kenya14,692
MARXAN-CRUZ PU StatusWWF Kenya14,692
MARXAN-CRUZ PU SF-ScoreWWF Kenya14,692
MARXAN-CRUZ PU StatusWWF Kenya14,692
LULC 2010 NAFORMAWWF Kenya16,871
DivisionsWWF Kenya17,649
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
lulc_2015_naformaWWF Kenya33,435
Carbon projects: MozambiqueBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley14
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): MozambiqueUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT179
Community and nature projects (UNDP): MozambiqueUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)13
LULC 2025 BAU Min. ScenarioWWF Kenya181,238
LULC 2025 GE ScenarioWWF Kenya329,368
LULC 2025 BAU Max. ScenarioWWF Kenya525,756
FB-AI-Population DistributionWWF Kenya969,481

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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