We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Economic Development Drives Massive Global Estuarine Loss in the Anthropocene.
- Authors
Jung, Nathalie W.; Lee, Guan‐hong; Dellapenna, Timothy M.; Jung, Yoonho; Jo, Tae‐Chang; Chang, Jongwi; Figueroa, Steven M.
- Abstract
Estuaries have great ecological and economic value and sustain both population and economic growth. Global‐scale analyses suggest that human activities drive estuarine area change but these projections neglect direct human‐estuary interactions and socio‐economic feedbacks. Here, we quantified area changes of 2,396 estuaries in response to recent human impacts (e.g., land reclamation, estuarine dam construction) and economic development between 1984 and 2019, and find that estuarine area shrank by 5,372 km2 whereas upland submergence created 5,015 km2 of estuarine area elsewhere. Approximately 44% (n = 1,046) of today's estuaries have been directly altered through land reclamation, estuarine dam construction, or a combination of both, and ∼250,000 acres (1,027 km2) of estuarine area have been directly converted to urban or agricultural fields. Nearly 90% (923 km2) of land reclamation occurred in Asia linked to recent advances in economic development during the middle‐income stage. Additional historical mapping and 5‐year interval analyses revealed that while human alterations were insignificant during the low‐income stages, estuaries were predominantly altered during their middle‐income stages, where estuarine degradation is a common consequence of economic growth. However, this trend stabilizes in high‐income countries with the adaption of conservation laws and policies. Together, our results indicate that large‐scale estuarine loss can be avoided by preserving estuaries in low‐ and mid‐income countries in the early stages of economic development. Plain Language Summary: Estuaries are indentations along the coastline, where rivers meet the ocean. Estuaries are often called "nurseries of the sea" as not only animals but also humans commonly rely on them for nesting and breeding as well as tourism, fisheries, and recreational activities. The world's biggest cities are therefore often found in close proximity to an estuary. Historically, humans have actively altered estuaries through land reclamation or the construction of dams in an effort to create new land available for agriculture, infrastructure, housing, and/or industries so that estuaries have dramatically decreased in size throughout the last few decades and centuries. Interestingly, these changes mostly occurred during a country's middle‐income stage, when conservation incentives were lacking, while human alterations were minimal during the low‐income stage due to the lack of economic means. Concurrently with the country's economic success, estuaries tended to stabilize as increasing income allowed for more protective and renaturalization measures. Future preservation efforts should therefore focus on preserving estuaries in low‐ and middle‐income countries in order to avoid ecosystem degradation. Key Points: Globally, nearly ½ of today's estuaries have been directly altered by humansLand reclamation has resulted in the loss of ∼250,000 acres (1,027 km2) of estuarine surface area during the last 35 yearsMost human alterations and ecosystem loss happened in middle‐income stages due to lacking conservation laws and policies
- Subjects
ASIA; ESTUARIES; ECONOMIC development; DAM design &; construction; RECLAMATION of land; INTERVAL analysis; HISTORICAL maps; ECOSYSTEMS
- Publication
Earth's Future, 2024, Vol 12, Issue 4, p1
- ISSN
2328-4277
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023EF003691