Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Oct;54(10):1563-1580.
doi: 10.1007/s13280-025-02193-x. Epub 2025 May 29.

Perceptions of coastal vegetated ecosystems: A systematic review across geographical and sectoral dimensions

Jay Mar D Quevedo  1 , Michelle Ann Miller  2 , Dixon T Gevaña  3 , Danny Marks  4 , Daniel A Friess  5 , Prayoto Tonoto  6 , David Taylor  7
Affiliations

Perceptions of coastal vegetated ecosystems: A systematic review across geographical and sectoral dimensions

Jay Mar D Quevedo et al. Ambio. 2025 Oct.

Abstract

Coastal vegetated ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and tidal marshes provide a wide array of ecosystem services. They also play a vital role in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. However, they are among the most threatened ecosystems globally. This study addresses a key knowledge gap by conducting a systematic review of academic literature on sectoral perceptions of these ecosystems. Through content analysis, we identified common research themes across regions and examined how members of the public, private, and civil society sectors perceive coastal vegetated ecosystems. The results reveal regional differences: Asian countries tend to emphasize utilization and economic benefits, while North America and Europe focus more on conservation and management. Several studies explored perceptions of climate change mitigation. Our findings highlight gaps in perception between the private and government agencies. Understanding these diverse sectoral perspectives can inform policy interventions to enhance conservation efforts and strengthen governance strategies.

Keywords: Blue carbon; Content analysis; Governance; Management; Sector-level perceptions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic diagram of the methodological framework employed in this review. The data screening process was adapted from Quevedo et al. (2023)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overall characteristics of publications reviewed in this study. (A) Number of publications over time, (B) publication types, and (C) the type of coastal vegetated ecosystem studied
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Multidimensional scaling-based dendrogram of title and abstracts and the seven thematic clusters
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Top two countries with the highest number of publications per continent, illustrating the frequency of each theme studied
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Co-occurrence network analysis of words from articles involving actors from the (A) public, (B) private, and (C) civil society sectors. Bubble (node) size indicates term frequency, while line (edge) thickness reflects the strength of cooccurrence
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmed, J., B. Kathambi, and R. Kibugi. 2023. Policy perspective on governance standards setting using community participation for sustainable mangrove management in Lamu Kenya. International Journal of Conservation Science 14: 315–326.
    1. Ajiki, K. and T. Miyagi. 1992. On clearance of mangrove forest and expansion of fishpond in the Philippines. Japanese Journal of Human Geography 44: 620–633.
    1. Amone-Mabuto, M., M. Mubai, S. Bandeira, M.S. Shalli, J.B. Adams, B.R. Lugendo, and J. Hollander. 2023. Coastal community’s perceptions on the role of seagrass ecosystems for coastal protection and implications for management. Ocean and Coastal Management 244: 106811.
    1. Aria, M. and C. Cuccurullo. 2017. bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics 11: 959–975.
    1. Arumugan, M., R. Niyomugabo, F. Dahdouh-Guebas, and J. Hugé. 2021. The perceptions of stakeholders on current management of mangroves in the Sine-Saloum Delta, Senegal. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 248: 107160.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources