Oil Spills in Mangroves: Planning and Response Considerations

Though mangrove forests are in many ways adaptable ecosystems, they are highly vulnerable to oil toxicity and can be further damaged by many types of cleanup activities. This 2002 report summarizes current research on mangrove ecosystems, written to help minimize environmental impacts in mangroves when oil spills threaten them.

Oil Spills in Mangroves is the second in a series of publications prepared by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) to provide response-related information on specific warm-water resources.

In addition to this publication, you may want to learn about the Vesta Bella which sank on March 6, 1991 about 30 miles southeast of Barbuda, Trinidad, oiling beaches and mangroves on the island of St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands) and ultimately, Puerto Rico. Recovery of Mangrove Habitats at the Vesta Bella Oil Spill Site (see link below) describes the spill cleanup on St. John and OR&R's April 1992 revisit of the island.

Download the Entire Publication

Oil Spills in Mangroves: Planning and Response Considerations If you have a fast Internet connection, you may want to download the entire report. (Document format: PDF, size: 4.2 M)

Download the Individual Chapters

Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction (Document format: PDF, size: 849.0 K)

Chapter 1, Mangrove Ecology Provides an overview of mangrove forests, their associated communities, and how they respond to natural and human stresses. (Document format: PDF, size: 1.4 M)

Chapter 2, Oil Toxicity A current review of the research available on oil toxicity and impacts to mangroves. (Document format: PDF, size: 347.7 K)

Chapter 3, Response General guidance for responding to spills in mangrove areas and specific considerations for cleanup measures. (Document format: PDF, size: 969.7 K)

Chapter 4, Recovery and Restoration Discusses long-term recovery of mangroves from oil spill impacts and restoration techniques and approaches. (Document format: PDF, size: 331.5 K)

Chapter 5, Case Studies Several case studies that illustrate a range of issues from oil spills impacting various regions. (Document format: PDF, size: 288.5 K)

Glossary (Document format: PDF, size: 40.8 K)

Download a Related Publication

Recovery of Mangrove Habitats at the Vesta Bella Oil Spill Site This 1994 report describes the spill cleanup on St. John and our April 1992 revisit of the island to (1) identify and characterize trends in oil weathering and (2) to determine if wiping mangrove roots was an effective cleanup method. (Document format: PDF, size: 4.0 M)