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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Nigeria

Generated 15 October 2026, 06:31 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 638,249 mapped features and 38,022 observations in 29 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 822,120 ha in 46,453 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.089 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 97.7% 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)
Mangrove46,453822,120.2100.0%17.70
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, Nigeria40,6110100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Nigeria43,5880100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Nigeria46,0560100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Nigeria40,6230100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Nigeria39,5420100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Nigeria53,9620100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Nigeria46,4530100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Nigeria38,8370100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Nigeria34,5800100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Nigeria37,2390100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Nigeria40,5290100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Nigeria43,9760100
Large airport23095
Development Corridors 33095
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)51095
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
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Carbon projects: Nigeria10090
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Nigeria2090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Nigeria7090
Roads54,384095

Recommendations

High 12 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Salt Marsh, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, 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
53.4% of the 46,453 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 97.7% 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 843,044 ha of mangrove in Nigeria in 1996 and 810,792 ha in 2025: a net loss of 32,253 ha (-3.8%), about 1,112 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, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)40,611
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)43,588
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)46,056
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)40,623
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)39,542
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)53,962
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)46,453
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)38,837
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)34,580
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)37,239
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)40,529
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, NigeriaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)43,976
Large airportWWF Kenya23
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)WWF Kenya51
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
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Carbon projects: NigeriaBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley10
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): NigeriaUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT2
Community and nature projects (UNDP): NigeriaUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)7
RoadsWWF Kenya54,384

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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