Researchers warn “we need to act quickly” as less than 16% of the world’s coastal regions remain intact

Coastal regions around the world are experiencing high levels of “human pressure”, with only 15.5% of them remaining intact as of 2013, a recent study by Australian researchers concluded.

The study, from the University of Queensland, focused on quantifying “industrialized” pressures that are known to harm the environment, such as roads, nutrient pollution from agricultural activities, and even heavy fishing.

Calling for urgent conservation efforts, the researchers identified severely degraded regions and those that have not remained unharmed.

“The rate of degradation of these regions poses massive threats not only to coastal species and habitats, but also to the health, safety and economic security of countless people living or dependent on coastal regions throughout the world, “co-author Brooke Williams. he wrote.

In the United States, it is becoming increasingly clear that only the rich can afford to live nearby rising seadue in part to the fact that people on high incomes can afford climate mitigation measures, according to one economist.

Coastal cities like Miami have a higher risk of flooding due to climate change, and in May 2021, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $ 640 million resilience bill to mitigate the increase in sea ​​level in the state.

The research found that more than half of the U.S. coastal regions are under very high levels of human pressure, while neighboring Canada has managed to keep most of its coastal area intact.

Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware had high levels of human pressure, compared to some places that were still relatively well-preserved, including the coastal regions of Louisiana, the Everglades National Park, and Alaska, according to the study. .

Dr. Amelia Wenger, lead author of the study, described the research’s findings as “truly revealing” and urged those in power to respond proactively to assist in conservation efforts.

“Understanding why coastal ecosystems are under pressure can help us design and implement more goal management strategies, and we look forward to slowing down and even reversing this degradation,” Wegner said in a statement on the study.