Mangrove Forests in Ecuador: A Two-Decade Analysis

Mangroves are one of the most important ecosystems especially due to the services they provide, but in contrast are one of the most threatened by human activities at a global level. In Ecuador, mangrove forests are currently fragile and threatened due to the great anthropic pressure, which has largely reduced the area they occupy. However, there is already evidence that certain actions are contributing both to their conservation and the recovery of the lost mangrove area. In this study, we assessed the multitemporal dynamics of changes in mangrove cover in four coastal provinces of the country over a period of 20 years (1998-2018) based on remote sensing data analyzed using GIS tools. Our results showed that the area affected by mangrove forest destruction reached its maximum during the 1998-2010 period, when 4.56% (194.57 km(2)) of the mangrove forest was lost. This situation especially affected the provinces of El Oro and Guayas. The main cause for the loss of mangrove cover was the expansion of shrimp farms, followed by agriculture and construction. However, a slight recovery of similar to 2.9% has been observed, although loss remains constant. Mangrove ecosystem conservation policies, mainly applied to zones within protected areas; the establishment of use and custody agreements and the halt of shrimp farm expansion; the development of mangrove forests on areas with sediment deposits; and natural mangrove recovery processes are key factors for mangrove restoration. These results suggest that it is possible to continue restoring mangrove cover and thus maintain some of the main ecosystem services they provide for the benefit of humans.