More people are seeking
out coastal land for development so shorelines are slowly becoming devastated
worldwide. Coastal areas that have the greatest number of people consequently
have the largest level of shoreline degradation. Beaches are diminished by
houses, sea walls, and other things that prevent the environment from staying
natural and flowing normally. This has a tremendous effect upon wildlife that
call these precious environments home.
Natural environments,
such as mangroves, are being ripped up so that homes, hotels, businesses, or
other structures can be created. The removal of these native habitats has a
negative effect on the environment because these types of plants hold together
the sand and prevent erosion of the land. They are also important homes for
many types of marine life. The mangroves in Bimini, Bahamas are important sites
for juvenile lemon sharks because their large roots protect these young animals
from being eaten my larger predators. Many other species of fish, crustaceans,
mollusks, and other organisms also call this habitat home. However, there is a
large resort now on the island that destroyed the vital mangrove habitat to
create beaches and many of these species are now at risk. The hotel also has
plans to create a golf course, which would destroy even more.
The removal of one
species can cause more and more species to die off because they are connected
via the food web. They will no longer be able to feed off of other species and
other organisms will be unable to eat them. The removal of one species can
destroy countless others.
One paper estimated the
amount of shoreline degradation in the Stockholm archipelago of the Baltic sea
to determine the effect on fish species in the area. Between 1960 and 2005,
about 40% of the shoreline had been developed for human purposes. Each year,
only about 0.5-1% of the shoreline was developed, showing that small changes
over the years can still have a large impact overall. The shoreline habitats
were home to many species now at risk, including northern pike, Eurasian perch,
and roach.
One of the major causes
of development is the decision of home buyers. Once one person decides to put
up a sea wall along their property, many others will follow and eventually the
natural landscape will disappear. Many people are concerned about the environment
and should be encouraged to keep it as natural as possible because it will be
better for the environment, as well as prettier for them to look at.
Invasive marine species
can also be more attracted to normal concrete than native species are, thus
they are better able to increase in number while the natural species are
outcompeted.
Some ways to help with
the problems of degradation include habitat restoration, better management
levels and habitat creation. Another way to help is to use more environmentally
friendly building materials. For example, people could use ECOncrete instead of
regular concrete when building sea walls. ECOncrete has a lower pH than normal
concrete so more small coastal organisms can grow. It is also more porous so
there is more surface area for these small creatures to bind to. There are also
larger crevices for fish and other bigger creatures. Of course it is better to
leave these areas natural, but if development needs to happen, people should
use more ecologically friendly methods.
Sources:
http://www.unep.org/dewa/vitalwater/article180.html
http://inhabitat.com/searc-reintroduces-marine-life-in-coastal-cities-with-econcrete/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24943864
ley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12114/abstract;jsessionid=54A50A3CB61A58F8A49D367199D8492F.f02t02
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