Indonesia Leuser Ecosystem

# Sumatra Floods: Damage and Flood Proxy Maps, Nov 2025 The **Earth Observatory of Singapore – Remote Sensing Lab (EOS-RS)** produced these damage and flood proxy maps for Sumatra Floods (Nov 2025) from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images. Each map is a separate ZIP below with its GeoTIFF, a KMZ for Google Earth, the PNG figures and a text file describing how it was made and how to read it. ## Maps in this dataset - **EOS-RS Flood Proxy Map: Aceh, Indonesia, Floods, 02 Dec 2025, v0.5** - **EOS-RS Damage Proxy Map: North Sumatra, Floods, 28 Nov 2025, v0.9** - **EOS-RS Flood Proxy Map: North Sumatra, Indonesia, Floods, 28 Nov 2025, v0.9** **More map details and files:** **Legal Disclaimer:** **Credits:** Earth Observatory of Singapore - Remote Sensing Lab (EOS-RS), Original data ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 Product - JAXA (2022-2025)

ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. **Data creation:** 2026-05-13 **Citation:** FAO. [YYYY (year of last update)]. [Name of database: Name of dataset OR Name of database]. [Accessed on [DD Month YYYY]]. [URL] Licence: CC-BY-4.0 **Contact points:** Resource Contact: [Christian Elloran](mailto:cbelloran@aseanbiodiversity.org) **Resource constraints:** This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC-BY-4.0) **Online resources:** ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

Mangroves are a group of tree and bush species that thrive in coastal intertidal zones, or the area between high and low tide. Because they prefer warm-water ecosystems, they are most commonly found at tropical and subtropical latitudes around the world. They are halophytes, or salt tolerant, and adapted to live in low-oxygen saline or brackish water. They are easily recognizable due to their tangle of prop roots, which keep their leafy branches above the water as the cycle of tides changes the water level.   Though more than 50—and possibly up to 110—species are considered mangroves, not all are from the genus Rhizophora. Some mangrove species are the result of convergent evolution, when unrelated species adapt to a harsh environment (such as a high-salt, low-oxygen intertidal zone) by taking on similar characteristics (such as a tangled prop root system). For this reason, extensive mangrove forests may contain only a handful of unique mangrove species—and even within a single forest, different types of mangroves each occupy distinct niches.   Mangroves are crucial to the health of coastal ecosystems. Their root systems protect the shoreline against erosion by reducing wave intensity and trapping sediments against the land. Mangrove forests are also effective at carbon sequestration, the process of removing carbon dioxide (a harmful greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere. Their labyrinth of roots is a popular hiding spot for fish and other marine life evading predators. They also shield coastal communities from tsunamis and storm surge.   Today, the largest mangrove forest in the world is the Sundarbans forest along the coast of Bangladesh and India, spanning 10,000 square kilometers (almost 4,000 square miles). In the past 50 years, though, it is estimated that up to 35 percent of the world's mangrove forests have been lost. This is largely due to shrimp farming, in which mangrove forests are cleared and replaced with artificial ponds for aquaculture practices, as well as other growing threats: unsustainable tourism activities; agricultural practices that cause mangrove removal or harmful runoff and pollution; and mangrove deforestation for coastal development or to gather charcoal and timber. These risks are exacerbated by climate change causing sea levels to rise, effectively drowning mangrove forests, and alterations to water chemistry, temperature, and other conditions, which put stress on the mangroves’ preferred growing conditions.   As threats to mangroves become better understood, organizations around the world have been created and joined together to protect these important ecosystems. The data in this map layer is from the Global Mangrove Alliance, a collaboration between Conservation International, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International, and the World Wildlife Fund. Supported by grants from the National Geographic Society, Explorers Ben Somerville and Margaret Owuor use research, education, and storytelling to protect mangrove forests near their homes in the Caribbean and southeastern Kenya. The map layer shows mangrove forest extent around the world in 2020. About 40 percent of people live near the coast, and 90 percent of tropical storms form within 20 degrees of the Equator—the parts of the globe where mangrove forests flourish. You can use the Population Density and Longitudes and Latitudes layers to see how many people and mangroves live in these regions, and the Protected Areas layer to find the areas where special conservation plans exist to defend mangrove ecosystems. Data Citation: Bunting, P.; Rosenqvist, A.; Hilarides, L.; Lucas, R.M.; Thomas, T.; Tadono, T.; Worthington, T.A.; Spalding, M.; Murray, N.J.; Rebelo, L-M. Global Mangrove Extent Change 1996 – 2020: Global Mangrove Watch Version 3.0. Remote Sensing. 2022 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.6894272

Mangroves are a group of tree and bush species that thrive in coastal intertidal zones, or the area between high and low tide. Because they prefer warm-water ecosystems, they are most commonly found at tropical and subtropical latitudes around the world. They are halophytes, or salt-tolerant, and adapted to live in low-oxygen saline or brackish water. They are easily recognizable due to their tangle of prop roots, which keep their leafy branches above the water as the cycle of tides changes the water level.  Though over 50—and possibly up to 110—species are considered mangroves, not all are from the genus Rhizophora. Some mangrove species are the result of convergent evolution, when unrelated species adapt to a harsh environment (like a high-salt, low-oxygen intertidal zone) by taking on similar characteristics (like a tangled prop root system). For this reason, extensive mangrove forests may contain only a handful of unique mangrove species—and even within a single forest, different types of mangroves each occupy distinct niches.  Mangroves are crucial to the health of coastal ecosystems. Their root systems protect the shoreline against erosion by reducing wave intensity and trapping sediments against the land. Mangrove forests are also effective at carbon sequestration, the process of removing carbon dioxide (a harmful greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere. Their labyrinth of roots is a popular hiding spot for fish and other marine life evading predators. They also shield coastal communities from tsunamis and storm surge.  Today, the largest mangrove forest in the world is the Sundarban forest along the coast of Bangladesh and India, spanning 10,000 square kilometers (almost 4,000 square miles). In the past fifty years, though, it is estimated that up to 35 percent of the world's mangrove forests have been lost. This is largely due to shrimp farming, where mangrove forests are cleared and replaced with artificial ponds for aquaculture practices, as well as other growing threats: unsustainable tourism activities; agricultural practices that cause mangrove removal or harmful runoff and pollution; and mangrove deforestation for coastal development or to gather charcoal and timber. These risks are exacerbated by climate change causing sea levels to rise, effectively drowning mangrove forests, and alterations to water chemistry, temperature, and other conditions, which put stress on the mangroves’ preferred growing conditions. As threats to mangroves become better understood, organizations around the world have been created and joined together to protect these important ecosystems. The data in this map layer is from the Global Mangrove Alliance, a collaboration between Conservation International, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International, and the World Wildlife Fund. Supported by grants from the National Geographic Society, Explorers Ben Somerville and Margaret Owuor use research, education, and storytelling to protect mangrove forests near their homes in the Caribbean and southeastern Kenya. The map layer shows mangrove forest extent around the world in 2016. About 40 percent of people live near the coast, and 90 percent of tropical storms form within 20° of the Equator—the parts of the globe where mangrove forests flourish. You can use the Population Density and Longitudes and Latitudes layers to see how many people and mangroves live in these regions, and the Protected Areas layer to find the areas where special conservation plans exist to defend mangrove ecosystems!

Mangroves are a group of tree and bush species that thrive in coastal intertidal zones, or the area between high and low tide. Because they prefer warm-water ecosystems, they are most commonly found at tropical and subtropical latitudes around the world. They are halophytes, or salt-tolerant, and adapted to live in low-oxygen saline or brackish water. They are easily recognizable due to their tangle of prop roots, which keep their leafy branches above the water as the cycle of tides changes the water level.  Though over 50—and possibly up to 110—species are considered mangroves, not all are from the genus Rhizophora. Some mangrove species are the result of convergent evolution, when unrelated species adapt to a harsh environment (like a high-salt, low-oxygen intertidal zone) by taking on similar characteristics (like a tangled prop root system). For this reason, extensive mangrove forests may contain only a handful of unique mangrove species—and even within a single forest, different types of mangroves each occupy distinct niches.  Mangroves are crucial to the health of coastal ecosystems. Their root systems protect the shoreline against erosion by reducing wave intensity and trapping sediments against the land. Mangrove forests are also effective at carbon sequestration, the process of removing carbon dioxide (a harmful greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere. Their labyrinth of roots is a popular hiding spot for fish and other marine life evading predators. They also shield coastal communities from tsunamis and storm surge.  Today, the largest mangrove forest in the world is the Sundarban forest along the coast of Bangladesh and India, spanning 10,000 square kilometers (almost 4,000 square miles). In the past fifty years, though, it is estimated that up to 35 percent of the world's mangrove forests have been lost. This is largely due to shrimp farming, where mangrove forests are cleared and replaced with artificial ponds for aquaculture practices, as well as other growing threats: unsustainable tourism activities; agricultural practices that cause mangrove removal or harmful runoff and pollution; and mangrove deforestation for coastal development or to gather charcoal and timber. These risks are exacerbated by climate change causing sea levels to rise, effectively drowning mangrove forests, and alterations to water chemistry, temperature, and other conditions, which put stress on the mangroves’ preferred growing conditions. As threats to mangroves become better understood, organizations around the world have been created and joined together to protect these important ecosystems. The data in this map layer is from the Global Mangrove Alliance, a collaboration between Conservation International, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International, and the World Wildlife Fund. Supported by grants from the National Geographic Society, Explorers Ben Somerville and Margaret Owuor use research, education, and storytelling to protect mangrove forests near their homes in the Caribbean and southeastern Kenya. The map layer shows mangrove forest extent around the world in 2016. About 40 percent of people live near the coast, and 90 percent of tropical storms form within 20° of the Equator—the parts of the globe where mangrove forests flourish. You can use the Population Density and Longitudes and Latitudes layers to see how many people and mangroves live in these regions, and the Protected Areas layer to find the areas where special conservation plans exist to defend mangrove ecosystems!

This data set represents the land cover for parts of Southeast Asia. Data was generated from Landsat 4, 5, and 7 images. There are 22 land cover classifications which are based on adaptations from classifications from the Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia. Land cover units were digitized using visual interpretation with supplemental geospatial data. For peatlands, and swamp lands, additional landscape context was also used.  This data represents land cover categories in Southeast Asia.