Global rarity of intact coastal regions |
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| Authors: | Brooke A Williams James EM Watson Hawthorne L Beyer Carissa J Klein Jamie Montgomery Rebecca K Runting Leslie A Roberson Benjamin S Halpern Hedley S Grantham Caitlin D Kuempel Melanie Frazier Oscar Venter Amelia Wenger |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia;2. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA;3. School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia;4. Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, New York, New York, USA;5. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia;6. Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Management of the land–sea interface is essential for global conservation and sustainability objectives because coastal regions maintain natural processes that support biodiversity and the livelihood of billions of people. However, assessments of coastal regions have focused strictly on either the terrestrial or marine realm. Consequently, understanding of the overall state of Earth's coastal regions is poor. We integrated the terrestrial human footprint and marine cumulative human impact maps in a global assessment of the anthropogenic pressures affecting coastal regions. Of coastal regions globally, 15.5% had low anthropogenic pressure, mostly in Canada, Russia, and Greenland. Conversely, 47.9% of coastal regions were heavily affected by humanity, and in most countries (84.1%) >50% of their coastal regions were degraded. Nearly half (43.3%) of protected areas across coastal regions were exposed to high human pressures. To meet global sustainability objectives, all nations must undertake greater actions to preserve and restore the coastal regions within their borders. |
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| Keywords: | coast coastlines cumulative human impact human footprint human pressure restoration wilderness costa huella humana impacto humano cumulativo litoral presión humana restauración tierras vírgenes |
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