Ecological and Social Drivers of Mangrove Expansion and Restoration in the Future Gulf of Mexico

Description: Along the Gulf of Mexico, tropical mangrove forests are expanding beyond their usual boundaries due to warming winters. However, mangroves are displacing salt marshes, which can have cascading effects on the ecosystem and communities that depend on marshes for water filtration and protection from storm damage. This project will synthesize existing knowledge on current mangrove distribution, abundance, and ecosystem function; and analyze what is driving people’s decisions to inhibit or promote mangrove expansion. Results will be translated into a Coastal Resilience decision support tool and a Mangrove Explorer interactive app. The app will help identify which human and ecological communities may be especially impacted by continued mangrove expansion.

Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021

Knowledge and perceptions of waterfront residents surrounding mangrove expansion in the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

A multi-region study of perceptions surrounding marsh and mangrove fisheries ecosystem services conducted from 2021 to 2022

Data for a study on waterfront property owners’ shoreline preferences amid salt marsh to mangrove transitions