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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: Somalia

Generated 15 October 2026, 04:04 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 70,345 mapped features and 23,095 observations in 23 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 3,778 ha in 564 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.357 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 85.8% 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)
Mangrove5643,778.2100.0%6.70
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, Somalia1,0870100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, Somalia1,0810100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, Somalia1,0690100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, Somalia1,0420100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, Somalia1,0490100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, Somalia6750100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, Somalia5640100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, Somalia5660100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, Somalia5410100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, Somalia5540100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, Somalia5810100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, Somalia5180100
polygons11095
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Rivers228095
AfricaPriority_River857095
TurtleTags_May2017_to_Oct20181,414095
TurtleTags_May2017_to_Oct20181,414095
Small airport1,979095
Districts6,0991395
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Community and nature projects (UNDP): Somalia4090

Recommendations

High 13 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Seagrass, Salt Marsh, Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, Carbon Projects, 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 10 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
25.0% of the 564 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 85.8% 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.
Low Net gain of mangrove since 1996
Global Mangrove Watch maps 3,619 ha of mangrove in Somalia in 1996 and 3,745 ha in 2025: a net gain of 126 ha (3.5%), about 4 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: mangrove extent 2020, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,087
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,081
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,069
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,042
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)1,049
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)675
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)564
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)566
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)541
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)554
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)581
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, SomaliaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)518
polygonsWWF Kenya11
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
RiversWWF Kenya228
AfricaPriority_RiverWWF Kenya857
TurtleTags_May2017_to_Oct2018WWF Kenya1,414
TurtleTags_May2017_to_Oct2018WWF Kenya1,414
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Community and nature projects (UNDP): SomaliaUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)4

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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