Africa's Ancient Coast
Somali Mangroves
On the southern coast of Somalia, Badhadhe is home to one of the largest mangrove forests in the world — and some of the oldest coastal forests in Africa.
These forests shelter an extraordinary range of life, from small herds of elephants to large populations of buffalo, reticulated giraffe and Cape antelope.
Some of the most genetically diverse lions in East Africa live in Badhadhe — from the typically maneless Lag Badana lions to the unique blue-eyed Somali lions — and they depend on the mangrove habitat to thrive.
Our mangrove reforestation efforts are restoring thousands of acres of degraded habitat for marine species, insects and birdlife — habitat lost to illegal logging, charcoal production and the severe flooding of the 2008 El Niño event.
The hardest areas to restore are those cleared completely, where the loss of nutrient-rich mud leaves behind inhospitable sandy soils in which mangroves struggle to grow.
Mangroves are felled for firewood and charcoal, driving habitat loss and ecosystem decline.
Rising seas, hotter temperatures and shifting rainfall threaten mangrove survival and regeneration.
Spreading settlements, uncontrolled resource use and land degradation shrink mangrove cover.
Oil spills, marine waste and coastal pollution damage mangroves and marine life.
Decades of instability have limited park management, making conservation difficult.
