Ocean Acidification

Mangrove ecosystems provide vital socio-ecological services, yet severe epistemic asymmetries leave coastal governance structurally understudied across Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP). Following PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review analyzes 132 peer-reviewed Web of Science publications (1991–2024) across Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Using the 18 categories of the IPBES Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) framework as a diagnostic lens, we map geographical disparities, thematic gaps, and socio-ecological representation across the region. Results reveal stark spatial inequalities, with Mozambique (62.1%) and Guinea-Bissau (25.7%) concentrating nearly 88% of regional scientific output, leaving the remaining three nations in severe empirical deficits. Across documented contributions, a reductionist “carbon-centric” bias dominates biophysical regulating functions account for over 60% of all recorded entries, whereas material dependencies (under 12%) and non-material values remain severely marginalized. Critically, we identify absolute knowledge vacuums in indirect regulating processes, namely pollination (NCP2), ocean acidification regulation (NCP5), and freshwater control (NCP6). These epistemic gaps decouple coastal management from local community dependencies, risking top-down “green-grabbing” under global climate agendas. Decolonizing research priorities, fostering regional cooperation, and integrating traditional ecological knowledge into co-designed management are essential to build sovereign evidence bases, protect community livelihoods, and equitably inform international climate and biodiversity targets.

Veronez A., Freitas H. & Gouveia A., 2026. Integrating knowledge for sustainable mangroves in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP) through the nature’s contributions to people framework. Research Square. Article.