Healthy coastal habitats like seagrass meadows, coastal saltmarsh, kelp forests, coral and shellfish reefs, and mangrove forests (‘blue infrastructure’) are essential to the economic and social well-being of coastal communities. These habitats drive coastal productivity supporting our fisheries and other industries associated with recreation in marine environments, improve water quality, sequester carbon, protect shorelines from erosion, and support thriving biodiversity, including threatened species. These habitats are under pressure from coastal development, climate change, pollution, invasive species and other anthropogenic pressures, which have led to drastic declines in many of our important marine and coastal habitats.
History
Publication title
Report to the National Environmental Science Programme
Commissioning body
Marine Biodiversity Hub
Volume
18 December 2018
Issue
Milestone 3
Pagination
186
Department/School
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
Publisher
Marine Biodiversity Hub
Place of publication
Hobart, Tasmania
Repository Status
Restricted
Socio-economic Objectives
Rehabilitation or conservation of coastal or estuarine environments; Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems