Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services. Wave attenuation at a salt marsh margin: A case study of an exposed coast on the Yangtze Estuary. Dams on the Mekong: cumulative sediment starvation. He Y.L., Li X.Z., Guo W.Y., and Ma Z.G. Nat. The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. However, due to unbridled human development, most of the Earths wetlands are at risk or have disappeared. Dahdouh-Guebas F., Jayatissa L.P., Di Nitto D., Bosire J.O., and Lo Seen D. 2005. Some recommendations are also proposed for consideration in the future conservation and restoration practices. Landfills increase the risk of hazardous materials getting into the food chain which causes biomagnification and the ultimate risk of developing chronic diseases. The EPA also list the following as major human causes of wetland loss: logging, runoff, air and water pollution, introducing nonnative species. Retrieved December 18, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3744552. 0000095675 00000 n The highest rates of wetland loss occurred between the 1950s and the 1970s, until conservation movements considerably slowed the rate of decline [source: EPA]. Today, only 15 percent of the land and 7 percent of the ocean is protected, leaving us with a challenging yet attainable goal. Sinking deltas due to human activities. Human activities can also increase the extent of wetlandsfor example, by creating shallow ponds or re-establishing formerly drained wetlands on farmlands. The State of Maryland pledges to provide constituents, businesses, customers, and stakeholders with friendly and courteous, timely and responsive, accurate and consistent, accessible and convenient, and truthful and transparent services. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. The condition of wetlands reflects a combination of physical, chemical, and biological attributes. Estuar. Overpopulation simply means more pollution and fast extraction of natural resources compared to how they are being replaced. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. Biol. 2007. The low water level allows for the establishment of all types of plants, which in turn support an enormous diversity of animals. Coastal wetlands, which lie between the land and the ocean, are threatened from both human activity and natural hazards, such as climate change, sea level rise, local subsidence, decreased sediment supply, and acidification. 2012. Along tidal rivers and in extremely flat areas, floods can be caused by storm surges from the sea or by river surges. Brambati A., Carbognin L., Quaia T., Teatini P., and Tosi L. 2003. Some of the reasons for deforestation include farming, construction, settlement, mining, or other economic purposes. Mass Deforestation. Here are some suggestions for the ecological restoration of coastal wetlands: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Res. Climate change: protect the worlds deltas. Ecol. Tessler Z.D., Vrsmarty C.J., Grossberg M., Gladkova I., Aizenman H., Syvitski J.P.M., and Foufoula-Georgiou E. 2015. According to the. The unplanned conversion of lands into urban settings, mining areas, housing development projects, office spaces, shopping malls, industrial sites, parking areas, road networks, and so on leads to environmental pollution and degradation of natural habitats and ecosystems. Manag. According to a study about tree density published in Nature, the number of trees worldwide has decreased by 46 percent since the start of civilization. Hinrichsen, D., and Olsen, S. 1998. Communities and ecosystems. All rights reserved. Pollution and effluents from the land travel easily through streams and rivers to the ocean, where they impact the health of fish, birds, and marine plants. Available from. Despite the habitat loss that has occurred globally to date, there is still hope. Eng. A larger gap is the lack of an indicator on wetland condition. 6 What are the natural causes of coastal erosion? And degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto water, which can worsen flooding. Wetl. Incorporating ecosystem services into coastal planning will achieve greater returns from coastal protection and tourism than from achieving conservation or development goals only (, Moreover, while faced with quick economic development along the world coast zones, we also need to make room for potential sea-level rise. Besides the foul smell from the landfills and periodic burning of the wastes make living in such environments unbearable. USA. Local governments may also take action to protect wetlands from development, by enacting ordinances that meet state guidelines. Wetlands help prevent erosion in 2 ways: 1) Wetland plants serve as a physical barrier by taking the punishment of the waves crashing into shore or the water running down a hill. Nitrous oxide (N. Huang X.W., Wang W., and Dong Y.W. Most of the planets natural environments have been destroyed and a large portion is under huge threat due to the toxic substances and chemicals emitted from fossil fuel combustions, industrial wastes, and homemade utilities among other industry processed materials such as plastics. Second, the reduced freshwater inflow allows saltwater encroachment, which kills the fresh . Science. Efforts are underway to conduct a comprehensive national survey of wetland condition, which could lead to more indicators in the future. What is blue forests? Making sure the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality applies and enforces the law is a duty of every citizen. Many ocean shores are currently eroding 1 to 4 feet per year. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 2015. Surrounding the Bohai Sea, Northern China, more than 2000km, Between 1780 and 1980, the United States faced extensive loss of its wetlands across the continents; some states lost more than 80% of their wetland coverage (, Dams and reservoirs constructed in rivers have prevented 20% of the global sediment inputs from reaching the coast (, Subsurface mining of oil, gas, and water often accelerate ground compaction and delta sinking, causing frequent flooding. In the past, the societal and ecological value of wetlands were not widely recognized and many wetlands were destroyed. Pollution, logging, dredging, draining of wetlands, and coastal development are all factors that lead to marine habitat destruction. Wetlands destruction has increased flood and drought damage, nutrient runoff and water pollution, and shoreline erosion, and triggered a decline in wildlife populations. Am. 2007. According to a. , the number of trees worldwide has decreased by 46 percent since the start of civilization. The dry land, or uplands, within a few feet above high tide includes forests, farms, low parts of some port cities, parts of deltas, and the bay sides of barrier islands. Human activities cause wetland degradation and loss by changing water quality, quantity, and flow rates; increasing pollutant inputs; and changing species composition as a result of disturbance and the introduction of nonnative species. Along sandy beaches, like wetland shores, property owners often erect these structures to halt erosion. Marine and Freshwater Research(en ingls)65(10): 934-941. 0000008323 00000 n Res. Well answer these questions and many more in the following lines. Elon Musk warned in a new interview that artificial intelligence could lead to "civilization destruction," even as he remains deeply involved in the growth of AI through his many companies . For example, the average net primary productivity of mangroves is as high as that of the tropical rain forest (2.2 kgm, As key habitats for many terrestrial and marine species, vegetated zones and tidal creeks provide diverse shelter and food sources for a large variety of wild animals, resulting in high biodiversity and unique food webs. 2017. xref 0000008906 00000 n 0000060575 00000 n 0000003694 00000 n ' The effect of bioenergy expansion: Food, energy, and environment ', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 32 (C), 559-578. L G.H., Zhou L., Zhao X.L., Jiao Q.Y., Xie Y.B., and Zhou G.S. Das S. and Vincent J.R. 2009. For example, considering the Midwest of the United States alone, some studies estimate that from 1850 to 1930, humans drained a minimum of 125 million acres of wetlands for agriculture. 417 pp. and Selig E.R. Point sources, such as municipal industrial sites, and non-point sources, such as agricultural lands and urban runoff, add materials to ground water and surface water that upset the balance of wetland water chemistry and the biogeochemical cycling of materials in wetland ecosystems. Ann. However, the global coastal wetlands have diminished rapidly during the past century, especially in the last 50 years, at a rate of 0.5%1.5% per year (, Mangroves faced a global loss of about 50% in the last decades (, Land reclamation has been the main reason of coastal wetland loss in China in the last decades. 2009. 2006. 0000003175 00000 n Wetland losses around the world are truly dramatic. Sustainable hydraulic engineering through building with nature. Wetlands. 2009. 69 0 obj <>stream These anthropogenic activities simply alter the natural process combined, thus, destroying the natural ecosystems supporting biodiversity. In Michigan, land use planning and new development must take into account the essential services of wetlands for preservation and restoration to be successful. 1987. Acad. Yang S.L., Li H., Ysebaert T., Zhang W.X., Wang Y.Y., Li P., et al. Studies reveal that by protecting 50 percent of the land and ocean around the world, plant and animal species could thrive. Lett. 2014. International Science Roundtable for the Media, 4 June 2002, Bali, Indonesia. Temmerman S. and Kirwan M.L. This often causes over-exploitation of the natural resources, and contributes to environmental erosion. Wetlands include marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas that are periodically saturated with or covered by water. Surface wave propagation in mangrove forests. Because many US recreational beaches are less than 100 feet wide at high tide, even a 1 foot rise in sea level would threaten homes in these areas. These disasters can also destroy alter the nature of the landscape rendering it unable to support life forms on it. Today, more than 2 million square kilometers of wetlands are protected by this convention. 1999. Under storm surge conditions, marsh vegetation can reduce wave energy by 60% (, The vegetated zone can also trap enormous amount of sediments, helping survival of salt marshes with land accretion horizontally and vertically (, The functions and services presented here demonstrate the indispensable value of coastal wetlands.