Nearly 14 years have passed since the first atlas, World Mangrove Atlas (Spalding et al. 1997), was published. While scientists throughout the world have shared their insights about these ecosystems from a handful of “classic” mangrove ecology treatises, no book since has provided the same platform for understanding the global importance of mangroves by simply defining their distribution. The vast majority of mangrove research programs are modest in size and limited in funding. Nonetheless, much knowledge has been gained since the last atlas, including a potential role for mangroves in storm protection, proactive adjustment of soil surface elevation with sea-level rise, coastal water conservation, economic importance locally, etc. Furthermore, by documenting what can be lost, this book allows the reader to imagine what a world without mangroves might look like (see also Science 317, 41–42). If the first atlas established a mere image of an important wetland community type in peril, then this current edition paints a picture rivaling what an artist may have envisioned. The World Atlas of Mangroves is a comprehensive, well-written, ambitious, and artistic work that we can certainly recommend, and that should be part of any serious wetland library.

Review info: World Atlas of Mangroves. By Spalding, M., M. Kainuma, and L. Collins, 2010. ISBN: 978-1844076574, 319 pp.