‘Humanity’s impact on Earth’s coastal regions is severe and widespread; global efforts are required to preserve the remaining intact regions,’ reads a new study published by researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Their results have shown that of coastal regions globally, 15.5% had low anthropogenic pressure. 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.
‘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,’ the study reads. ‘We integrated the terrestrial human footprint and marine cumulative human impact maps in a global assessment of the anthropogenic pressures affecting coastal regions.
Canada, Russia and Greenland were the countries with the lowest anthropogenic pressures on coastal regions. Countries like India and Singapore were found to put high pressure on their coastal regions, even though Singapore was one of the countries with ‘high government effectiveness’.
Human activities that were mostly responsible for degraded coastal regions included fishing, agriculture, urban development and infrastructure.
‘To meet global sustainability objectives, all nations must undertake greater actions to preserve and restore the coastal regions within their borders,’ the authors added.
Picture: Unsplash
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