February 2012: The latest edition of the newsletter of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Tropical Forest Update, summarizes the findings of the 2010 World Atlas of Mangroves, a comprehensive worldwide study on mangrove ecosystems.

The newsletter features articles on the biology, biogeography and ecology of mangrove ecosystems and core species. and use of timber and forest products and services such as coastal protection, bio-filtration and carbon sequestration. One article discusses the drivers of mangrove loss, and points to shrimp aquaculture as a particularly strong driver of mangrove conversion in recent decades. It notes that climate change will have limited negative impacts on mangrove species, and outlines several avenues for mangrove management, including sustainable silviculture, restoration and afforestation, protected areas, and community involvement. Other articles in this issue of Tropical Forest Update outline regional assessments of mangroves and issues in mangrove management.

Noting funding limitations, the editors state that this issue of Tropical Forest Update is only available online in English, and that it will be the last issue until production funding becomes available. [Publication: Tropical Forest Update Volume 21 Number 2]