Brodie, Gilianne D. and Holland, Elisabeth A. and De Ramon N'Yeurt, Antoine and Soapi, Katy M. and Hills, Jeremy M. (2020) Seagrasses and seagrass habitats in Pacific small island developing states: potential loss of benefits via human disturbance and climate change. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 160 . pp. 111573-111585. ISSN 0025-326X
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Abstract
Seagrasses provide a wide range of services including food provision, water purification and coastal protection. Pacific small island developing states (PSIDS) have limited natural resources, challenging economies and a need for marine science research. Seagrasses occur in eleven PSIDS and nations are likely to benefit in different ways depending on habitat health, habitat cover and location, and species presence. Globally seagrass habitats are declining as a result of anthropogenic impacts including climate change and in PSIDS pressure on already stressed coastal ecosystems, will likely threaten seagrass survival particularly close to expanding urban settlements. Improved coastal and urban planning at local, national and regional scales is needed to reduce human impacts on vulnerable coastal areas. Research is required to generate knowledge-based solutions to support effective coastal management and protection of the existing seagrass habitats, including strenghened documentation the socio-economic and environmental services they provide. For PSIDS, protection of seagrass service benefits requires six priority actions: seagrass habitat mapping, regulation of coastal and upstream development, identification of specific threats at vulnerable locations, a critique of cost-effective restoration options, research devoted to seagrass studies and more explicit policy development.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Coastal Pollution, Blue carbon, Human health, Restoration, Policy, PSIDS, Seagrass |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences Q Science > QC Physics > QC851-999 Meteorology. Climatology Including the earth's atmosphere Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > Institute of Applied Science Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > School of Marine Studies Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD) |
| Depositing User: | Antoine N'Yeurt |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Sep 2020 02:26 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jan 2023 00:13 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/12335 |
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