State of World's Coastal Ecosystems
Coastal ecosystems are located in critical transitional zones connecting terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, covering approximately 7% of the global ocean surface. These ecosystems are spatially interconnected and functionally interdependent, collectively supporting major biological groups including marine plankton, plants and macroalgae, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds.
Currently, approximately 40% of the global population lives within 100 km of the coast, relying heavily on coastal ecosystems for resources and the ecosystem services they provide, such as coastal protection, water purification, climate regulation, and recreational and cultural benefits. However, these ecosystems are facing dual pressures from human activities and climate change, leading to accelerated biodiversity loss and a continuous decline in ecosystem services, which severely threatens the sustainable development of coastal regions.
In response to this challenge, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have jointly called for the establishment of the World Coastal Forum to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration in advancing the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems. The State of World's Coastal Ecosystems, a key knowledge product launched by the forum, compiles for the first time global data on coastal ecosystems and socio-economic contexts, providing a systematic assessment of the distribution, changes, key drivers and pressures of 13 major types of coastal ecosystems （ estuaries, rocky shores, sandy shores, muddy shores, mangroves, coastal saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, coral reefs, shellfish beds and reefs, subtidal-shelf rocky reefs, subtidal-shelf sand beds, and subtidal-shelf mud beds, and summarizes practical experiences in conservation, restoration, and sustainable development to support global coastal governance.
The report emphasizes that coastal ecosystems play an irreplaceable role in global biodiversity conservation and the safeguarding of human well-being. Their continued degradation poses grave threats to climate change mitigation, food security, and socio-economic development. This report aims to provide policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders with scientific evidence and actionable recommendations, calling for proactive and concerted global efforts to protect and sustainably manage these invaluable coastal regions.
We sincerely invite you to join in this concerted action to conserve coastal ecosystems for current and future generations of wildlife and people.
Tel: +86 010 6808 0892
