94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. For. Glob. Change
Sec. Forest Management
Volume 8 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2025.1556158
Mangrove Ecosystems in Western Asia: A Literature Review of Trends, Conservation Gaps, and Sustainable Management Strategies
Provisionally accepted- 1Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
- 2University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric and systematic literature review (SLR) of mangrove ecosystem research in Western Asia, adhering to PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. A total of 168 eligible documents published between 1991 and 2025 were identified from key Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. The analysis synthesizes key trends in mangrove research across themes such as biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, socioeconomic impacts, and sustainable management. Using the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) framework, four key strengths were identified: ecological resilience of Avicennia marina, growing research productivity, institutional collaboration, and policy interest. Weaknesses included fragmented governance, limited socio-economic valuation, and inadequate data integration. Opportunities were found in emerging technologies such as remote sensing, blue carbon finance, and regional restoration programs. Threats were dominated by climate change, industrial encroachment, and transboundary pollution. To translate these findings into actionable strategies, a TOWS matrix was developed. The SO (Strength-Opportunity) strategy proposed leveraging robust research capacity to access climate finance and promote innovation. The WO (Weakness-Opportunity) strategy emphasized applying geospatial tools to overcome governance gaps. The ST (Strength-Threat) strategy suggested using localized pollution data to enhance regulatory enforcement. Finally, the WT (Weakness-Threat) strategy advocated for the development of cross-border policy networks to mitigate shared ecological risks. By integrating bibliometric insights with strategic planning tools, this study provides evidence-based recommendations for improving mangrove governance, monitoring, and conservation in the arid coastal zones of Western Asia.
Keywords: mangrove ecosystems, SWOT-TOWS analysis, Western Asia, Bibliometric review, Conservation strategy
Received: 06 Jan 2025; Accepted: 08 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yap and Al-Mutairi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chee Kong Yap, Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.