Coastal ecosystems worldwide face severe degradation

According to the State of Global Coastal Ecosystems Report released at the World Coastal Forum 2025 held in Jiangsu Province, China, coastal ecosystems around the world have been facing varying degrees of degradation over the past half-century.

Delegates attending the forum. Photo: PRNEWSWIRE

The most severely affected ecosystems include seagrass beds, coral reefs, oyster reefs and kelp forests, with average annual net loss rates exceeding 1%, the report said. This severe decline has led to significant declines in the population sizes of many species that depend on these coastal habitats.

Alarmingly, more than 10% of species in most coastal groups are at risk of being threatened, with seabirds, marine invertebrates and sea turtles being the groups with threat rates exceeding 30%.

This is the first global systematic assessment of the distribution, trends and key drivers of 13 coastal ecosystems. The report identifies three key drivers of current coastal ecosystem degradation: coastal urbanization; warming and acidification of seawater due to climate change; and exploitation of fisheries, mineral and energy resources.

PEARL

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/he-sinh-thai-ven-bien-toan-the-gioi-doi-mat-suy-thoai-nghiem-trong-post814693.html