Landsat study shows a global mangrove rebound since 2010 after decades of loss

13 November 2026

NASA Earth Observatory has highlighted research published in Science showing that the world's mangrove forests began a global rebound around 2010. Using Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2023, scientists counted losses of nearly 3,000 square kilometers between 1984 and 2010, followed by a gain of nearly 2,000 square kilometers after 2010, led by Asia, Australia and South America. About two-thirds of the gain came from mangroves colonising new areas and one-third from restoration of degraded forests, said Zhen Zhang of Tulane University. Burma (Myanmar) saw one of the biggest reversals, with mangroves spreading into abandoned rice fields in the Myeik District. The authors credit awareness after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, stronger legal protection and new mudflats.