The 7th Mangrove, Macrobenthos and Management Conference (MMM7), held from July 1 to 5, 2026 on Ishigaki Island, Japan, brought together the mangrove community on a large scale. Organized by the University of the Ryukyus and the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), this event provided an opportunity to take stock of scientific advances and to bring together scientists, managers, and decision-makers from around the world around mangrove conservation and restoration.

This 2026 edition lived up to its promise, with over 350 participants from every continent: Asia and Oceania, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. The leading research laboratories, NGOs, and institutional stakeholders involved in the study, monitoring, restoration, or protection of mangroves were represented. Several launches were announced (e.g. version 4.1 of Global Mangrove Watch), and notable research findings were presented across many fields: the resilience of mangroves in the face of human pressures and climate change, modeling and understanding of forest structures, trends and monitoring of eco-hydrological dynamics, new e-genomic methods for biodiversity inventory and monitoring, updates on carbon sequestration, and innovative methods for observing mangroves or tracking restoration efforts…

Members of the MangMap team followed and took part in the discussions, joined scientific field excursions, and showcased the platform through a poster presented as a Flash Talk on July 2 in plenary session. They also presented the scientific work they are carrying out within IRD's UMR Espace-Dev, building on the 2023 edition held in Cartagena, Colombia. Discussions on the sidelines of the official sessions provided opportunities to connect with the wider community, and in particular with colleagues and partners from France, Africa, and the Americas.

You'll find the MangMap poster presented at MMM7 below!