Amazon mangrove soil function declined beyond the tree-cover map
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A field study built a locally calibrated soil-health index comparing four land-use settings. Intact mangroves and mangroves neighboring shrimp farms scored 67% and 64% of the study's reference capacity, while converted shrimp-farm and pasture sites scored 52% and 32%. Detecting subtle neighboring degradation required more indicators than detecting severe conversion.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Belowground functions can change before mapped forest cover does. Managers should select monitoring indicators and reference states matched to local ecosystem processes.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
These percentages are relative to this study's own indicator framework, not worldwide service-loss estimates or a universally validated mangrove-health scale.
SOURCE
Wetlands — Mello et al., 26 June 2026
View original evidence ↗
A site-specific index detected substantial differences between intact, adjacent and converted landscapes.
Read the Wild Lands assessment →