As sea levels rise, coastal wetlands around the world are expected to shrink – and researchers at the University of British Columbia have found this could put the world’s shorebirds and their critical habitat at risk.
As sea levels rise, coastal wetlands around the world are expected to shrink – and researchers at the University of British Columbia have found this could put the world’s shorebirds and their critical habitat at risk.
The first global systematic review of its kind, published in Biodiversity and Conservation, examined the impacts of rising sea levels on 29 species of shorebirds, including plovers, sandpipers and oystercatchers. The review found rising seas are expected to have predominantly negative impacts on shorebird habitat and populations, while human infrastructure could make the problem worse by preventing coastal wetlands from moving inland.
“As sea levels rise, coastal wetlands need space to retreat, but many of the places where shorebirds depend on these habitats are already constrained by dykes, roads and other development,” said lead author Jennifer Magel, a PhD student at the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship at UBC. “If we continue to develop our coastlines without considering where these wetlands can go, we risk losing important shorebird habitat.”
The researchers reviewed 37 studies that included data on the effects of sea level rise on shorebirds: 78 per cent found negative impacts on habitat, while 89 per cent found negative impacts on shorebird populations or individual birds.
Read More: University of British Columbia
Image: Western Sandpipers in flight over Roberts Bank in the Fraser River Estuary during migration (Credit: Jason Puddifoot)
