The research indicates that the transformation of vital ecological areas for residential development or farming is occurring with particular speed in Asia.
Important places on the planet are rapidly disappearing due to human intervention / © pixabay.com
Estuaries – the zones where rivers meet the oceans – are frequently referred to as the “sea’s nurseries”. They provide a habitat for numerous edible fish species, along with a substantial quantity of birdlife. The salt marshes which emerge around them assist in stabilizing shorelines and moderating inundations. However, a recent study has determined that nearly half of the planet’s estuaries have been eliminated due to human actions.
This is reported in an article by The Guardian.
Utilizing satellite imagery, researchers assessed alterations that transpired in 2,396 estuaries between 1984 and 2019. The findings, documented in the journal Earth's Future, revealed that over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of estuaries have been repurposed into urbanized or agricultural land over the last 35 years, with the majority of the depletion (90%) happening in rapidly advancing nations in Asia.
By contrast, in affluent countries, estuaries have undergone very little damage during the past 35 years – primarily because extensive modifications to them transpired many decades prior, during a period of swift advancement in these countries.
Numerous developed nations are now acknowledging and tackling the harm. Locations such as the Tees Estuary in northern England are investing in restoring land to mudflats and salt marshes to lessen flood potential, augment resilience to the climate emergency, restock fish stocks, and enable natural restoration.
The phenomenon is notably pronounced in Asia.
Simultaneously, the octopus has motivated researchers to develop innovative robot designs. British experts have conceived suction devices for robotic “appendages” capable of grasping, securing, and transporting weighty objects of intricate configurations.