The first multiple valuation of the natural benefits provided by mangrove forests in the Brazilian Amazon highlights the key role of mangroves in local well-being and subsidizes more robust conservation policies in Brazil.
Mangrove forests along the Brazilian coastal Amazon provide essential ecosystem services that directly sustain human well-being. However, its benefits are rarely quantified in a way that reflects local realities — especially in the Global South, where data gaps limit effective conservation decisions. A new study contributes to filling this gap by estimating the economic value of key mangrove ecosystem services, based on face-to-face interviews with local residents and experts living adjacent to mangroves, producing results with direct relevance to community priorities and public policies in Brazil.
Using a choice experiment — a method that quantifies how people value different benefits and trade-offs — National Geographic Explorers Angelo Bernardino and Margaret Owuor led a team to assess perceptions of multiple mangrove ecosystem services in the coastal Amazon. The approach, conducted through one-on-one interviews, was designed to build trust, reduce external interpretations, and increase accuracy in valuing services, while additionally ensuring that community voices were captured clearly.
The study estimates a total annual economic value of US$ 760 (about 3,500 Reais) per family from mangrove ecosystem services. When scaled to the region’s extensive mangrove forests, the findings suggest a value of US$215 per hectare of preserved mangrove forest. Notably, the per-family benefit represents 47% of the average annual income of the municipalities studied, underscoring the centrality of mangroves for the economic and social well-being of coastal families.
“This work demonstrates that mangroves are not just ecosystems rich in biodiversity — they are the basis of daily life and local prosperity in the coastal Amazon,” said Angelo Bernardino, Professor of Oceanography at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) and associate researcher at the Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture at the University of São Paulo (CCARBON/USP). “By quantifying what communities already know in practice, we provide decision-makers with evidence that can strengthen protection and guide investments where they are needed most.”
Why this matters to local communities
Mangrove ecosystem services support multiple aspects of the well-being of coastal populations. By translating these benefits into comparable economic values — based on the preferences expressed by the villagers themselves — the study provides evidence that can support the livelihoods of these communities, including activities, reducing climate risks, and maintaining resources linked to mangrove health.
The work also supports fairer decision-making in these regions, ensuring that policies reflect what neighboring communities value most. The study demonstrates that community engagement is not optional in environmental valuation — but it is an essential part of obtaining credible numbers and legitimate decisions.
This work also adds important political support to the Brazilian government at a time when mangrove restoration and conservation are being included in the country’s climate plan. “The added value of mangrove ecosystem services for local communities is an important step in supporting Brazil’s conservation and restoration efforts,” said Angelo Bernardino. Because mangrove services are often underestimated in cost-benefit analyses, they can be overlooked in land-use decisions and coastal development planning. The findings of the study offer a ready basis for policies aimed at strengthening mangrove protection measures, demonstrating their high contribution to municipal well-being.
As the first study to explicitly recognize and value mangrove ecosystem services from the perspective of coastal residents of the Brazilian Amazon, the research lays a solid foundation for policies that protect both ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
About the study: The study was supported by the National Geographic Society and ROLEX through the Perpetual Planet Amazon expeditions. Angelo Bernardino and Tiago O Ferreira are researchers associated with CCARBON/USP and CNPq Productivity fellows.
