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ATLAS REPORT

Country report: South Africa

Generated 15 October 2026, 06:44 from live Atlas data

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Executive summary

Atlas holds 114,918 mapped features and 38,220 observations in 47 datasets. The mapped mangrove canopy covers 2,001 ha in 458 polygons across 1 formation classes; Mangrove dominates with 100.0% of the area. The median patch is only 0.157 ha, while patches of 10 ha or more hold 85.0% 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)
Mangrove4582,001.5100.0%4.37
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, South Africa6220100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, South Africa9610100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, South Africa7360100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, South Africa6410100
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, South Africa6460100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, South Africa4770100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, South Africa4580100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, South Africa4400100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, South Africa4010100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, South Africa4190100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, South Africa4230100
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, South Africa3780100
Fynbos1095
Heliport4095
Africa_Water_Towers7095
polygons11095
Biodiversity Hotspots12095
Air Flight Routes18095
Air_Flight_Routes18095
Main Towns22095
Large airport23095
Planned Major Roads and Rails33095
Development Corridors 33095
SADC_TFCAs56195
Fibre Cable72095
Operational Landscape791395
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_Seascape961695
Fibre Cable Landing Stations126095
Rivers228095
Trunk Roads N12520095
towns and settlements611095
Power Plants (Power output MW)642095
AfricaPriority_River857095
Small airport1,979095
District Roads N122,158095
Dams2,586095
Districts6,0991395
World Database on Protected Areas7,438195
Populated_places8,149095
Electricity Transmission Network9,759095
Divisions17,649995
Irrigated Areas23,095195
Agro-Ecological Zones25,7911795
Carbon projects: South Africa28090
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): South Africa26090
Salt marsh (UNEP-WCMC): South Africa77090
Community and nature projects (UNDP): South Africa13090

Recommendations

High Licence terms to be confirmed for 31 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.
High 10 of 9 themes have no data yet
Atlas holds no records for: Coastal Forests, Blue Carbon, Restoration Sites, 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.
Medium Most polygons are very small, but most area sits in large stands
36.5% of the 458 mapped polygons are under 0.1 ha, yet patches of 10 ha or more hold 85.0% 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 1,834 ha of mangrove in South Africa in 1996 and 2,072 ha in 2025: a net gain of 238 ha (13.0%), about 8 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, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)622
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 1996, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)961
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2007, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)736
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2010, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)641
Global Mangrove Watch: mangrove extent 2015, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)646
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2025, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)477
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2020, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)458
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2015, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)440
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2010, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)401
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2005, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)419
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 2000, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)423
Global Mangrove Watch v4.1: mangrove extent 1996, South AfricaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, soloEO, Wetlands International, UNEP-WCMC, JAXA)378
FynbosWWF Kenya1
HeliportWWF Kenya4
Africa_Water_TowersWWF Kenya7
polygonsWWF Kenya11
Biodiversity HotspotsWWF Kenya12
Air Flight RoutesWWF Kenya18
Air_Flight_RoutesWWF Kenya18
Main TownsWWF Kenya22
Large airportWWF Kenya23
Planned Major Roads and RailsWWF Kenya33
Development Corridors WWF Kenya33
SADC_TFCAsWWF Kenya56
Fibre CableWWF Kenya72
Operational LandscapeWWF Kenya79
Africa_WWF_Priority_202104_Operational_Landscapes_SeascapeWWF Kenya96
Fibre Cable Landing StationsWWF Kenya126
RiversWWF Kenya228
Trunk Roads N12WWF Kenya520
towns and settlementsWWF Kenya611
Power Plants (Power output MW)WWF Kenya642
AfricaPriority_RiverWWF Kenya857
Small airportWWF Kenya1,979
District Roads N12WWF Kenya2,158
DamsWWF Kenya2,586
DistrictsWWF Kenya6,099
World Database on Protected AreasWWF Kenya7,438
Populated_placesWWF Kenya8,149
Electricity Transmission NetworkWWF Kenya9,759
DivisionsWWF Kenya17,649
Irrigated AreasWWF Kenya23,095
Agro-Ecological ZonesWWF Kenya25,791
Carbon projects: South AfricaBerkeley Carbon Trading Project, University of California, Berkeley28
Seagrass (UNEP-WCMC): South AfricaUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT26
Salt marsh (UNEP-WCMC): South AfricaUN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Short FT77
Community and nature projects (UNDP): South AfricaUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)13

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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