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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Seychelles

Generated 15 October 2026, 15:07 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 30,001 mapped features and 23,095 observations in 13 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 1,650 ha in 741 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.176 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 71.5% 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)
Mangrove7411,650.2100.0%2.23
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 v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Seychelles7210100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Seychelles7410100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Seychelles7030100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Seychelles6480100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Seychelles6450100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Seychelles6450100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Seychelles6720100
polygons11095
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Small airport1,979095
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): Seychelles14090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Seychelles1090

Recommendations

High 14 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Salt Marsh, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, Carbon Projects, Biodiversity, Land Use & Land Cover, People & Settlements, Wildlife & Habitats, Fire & Climate, Farming & Livelihoods, Mining, Oil & Licences, Surveys & Field Data, Boundaries & Reference. 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 4 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
38.7% of the 741 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 71.5% 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 1,594 ha of mangrove in Seychelles in 1996 and 1,691 ha in 2025: a net gain of 97 ha (6.1%), about 3 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 v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)721
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)741
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)703
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)648
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)645
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)645
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, SeychellesGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)672
polygonsWWF Kenya11
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): SeychellesUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT14
Community and nature projects (UNDP): SeychellesUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)1

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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