Coastal Habitat Loss
Homes, jetties, seawalls, canals, and other structures built on beaches or wetlands often destroy habitat for sea turtles, birds, fish, and other sea life. Salt and tidal marshes, wetlands, mangroves, and coral reefs also suffer when development is unsustainable.
Wetlands, mangroves and sea grasses are valuable natural resources as they hold sediment and nutrients, filter pollutants, protect coastal environments from storms, shelter wildlife, and benefit people.
In the US, half the population lives within fifty miles of the coast. The wrong kind of coastal development, coupled with sea level rise, pollution, and ocean warming, can damage or devastate coastal habitats. Coastal communities rely on the natural systems in coastal habitats for food, tourism, and recreational fishing.
3 things you can do to help prevent coastal habitat loss:
1. Switch to renewable energy sources when and wherever possible.
2. Don’t use streets or storm drains as dumps.
3. Research local efforts to protect wetlands.
Other great ways you can make a difference.
LINKS & VIDEOS
Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean – Earth Trends
Coastal Habitats Threat – Sea Turtle Conservation
Mangrove Swamps – Environmental Protection Agency
Coastal Development – Coral Reef Alliance
National Coastal Trends – NOAA
Population and Coastal Regions – Population Reference Bureau
Engaging Community for Sustainable Coastal Development in Lombok, Indonesia
Wetland FAQs – America’s Wetland Resource
Ecosystem Services A Primer – Action BioScience
UN Warns Against Rapid Coastal Development, Al Jazeera
A United Nations University report has warned against rapid coastal development for countries in the middle east.
Mike Carloss with the LDWF Coastal & Nongame Resources division, discusses the potential for increased habitat loss due to oil entering Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management area.
May is National Wetland Month, USDA