Key findings
- The main causes of changes to coastal ecosystems are coastal erosion; sprawling economic sites and infrastructure linked to urbanisation and tourism; and creating and managing forests as well as water bodies.
- Coastal erosion is largely caused by sediment starvation as a consequence of river dams, although intensive development and sand mining can also contribute to coastal habitat destruction.
- Half of Europe’s coastal wetlands are expected to disappear (approximately 4500 km2) as a result of sea level rise linked to climate change. About 10 % of Europe’s coastline is already protected by sea defences.
- Climate change is also expected to affect river flows and species in coastal wetlands and estuaries. Higher water temperatures might also shift the balance in favour of invasive alien species.
- Urbanisation put Mediterranean coastal wetlands under constant pressure in the period 1990–2000, particularly in Spain and southern Italy.
- High nitrate and phosphate loads in water environments lead to blue-green algae blooms, which can choke all other aquatic life through high oxygen consumption and threaten human health in bathing areas.
- Increasing exploitation of sand and gravel from coastal zones or over-exploitation of fish stocks also put considerable pressure on coastal ecosystems.
- More than two thirds of coastal habitat types and more than half of species typical of coastal ecosystems have an ‘unfavourable’ conversation status.