UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030—What Chance for Success in Restoring Coastal Ecosystems?

• Published in: Frontiers in Marine Science Vol. 7
• Main Authors: Waltham, Nathan J., Elliott, Michael, Lee, Shing Yip, Lovelock, Catherine, Duarte, Carlos M., Buelow, Christina, Simenstad, Charles, Nagelkerken, Ivan, Claassens, Louw, Wen, Colin K-C, Barletta, Mario, Connolly, Rod M., Gillies, Chris, Mitsch, William J., Ogburn, Matthew B., Purandare, Jemma, Possingham, Hugh, Sheaves, Marcus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Frontiers Research Foundation 20.02.2020; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Algae; Biodiversity; blue carbon; Climate; Climate change; Coastal ecosystems; Coastal zone management; Coral reefs; Costs; Economics; Ecosystem management; Ecosystem restoration; Ecosystems; Environmental changes; Environmental conditions; Environmental restoration; Fish; Fisheries; Freshwater; Funding; Governance; Gravity; Habitat loss; Hydrology; Industrialization; Inland water environment; Mangroves; Project planning; restoration; Salt marshes; Saltmarshes; Sea grasses; Sea level; Sea level changes; Seaweeds; Shellfish; Shoreline protection; Social sciences; Spatial planning; Success; Terrestrial ecosystems; Terrestrial environments; United Nations; Urbanization; Water quality; Wetlands
• ISSN: 2296-7745; 2296-7745
• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00071

Coastal Ecosystem Values, Threats, and Decline Coastal wetlands, such as seagrass beds, mangrove wetlands, salt marshes, macroalgal, and seaweed beds, shellfish reefs, tidal freshwater wetlands, and coral reefs, are remarkable features of tropical and temperate coastlines. [...]these systems are subject to what may be called “a triple whammy” of increasing industrialization and urbanization, an increased loss of biological and physical resources (fish, water, energy, space), and a decreased resilience to the consequences of a warming climate and sea level rise (Elliott et al., 2016). Trans-Disciplinary Teams Looking forward into the next decade, coastal habitat restoration will truly require a trans-disciplinary approach with skills drawn from engineering, modeling, ecology, chemistry, hydrology, social sciences including economics, financial, and project planning, governance, and integrated land, and sea spatial planning and management. Coastal ecosystems are at least as complex as terrestrial ecosystems, although arguably more dynamic, with the added gravity of the “triple whammy”—future development expansion that further alters shoreline ecosystems, loss of biodiversity and environmental conditions (e.g., water quality), and changing climate which alters sea level in many complex ways.