IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - North

Kolawolé Valère Salako, Sean G. MCGregor, Ena Suarez

Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - North is a regional ecosystem subgroup (level 4 unit of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology). It includes the marine ecoregions of Gulf of Guinea Central, Gulf of Guinea Upwelling, Gulf of Guinea West. The Gulf of Guinea - North mangrove province mapped extent in 2020 was 6961.2 km2 across, representing 4.7% of the global mangrove area. The biota is characterized by 5 species of true mangroves.
Although the province’s mangroves provide several key ecosystem services they have undergone drastic reduction in their natural range. The mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea – North province are threatened by logging for fuel and charcoal production, conversion for agriculture or aquaculture, and industrial, urban, and tourism development.
The mangrove net area change has been -2.9% since 1996. If this trend continues an overall change of -4.3% is projected over the next 50 years. Furthermore, under a high sea level rise scenario (IPCC RCP 8.5) -9.5% of the Gulf of Guinea - North mangroves would be submerged by 2060. Moreover, 2.8% of the province’s mangrove ecosystem is undergoing degradation, with the potential to increase to 6.4% within a 50-year period, based on a vegetation index decay analysis. Overall, the Gulf of Guinea - North mangrove ecosystem is assessed as Least Concern (LC).