Seagrass meadows might not catch the eye like coral reefs, but they play an important and often unsung role in coastal protection, particularly as climate change increasingly eats away at shorelines. Protecting and restoring seagrass meadows, experts say, is a key “nature-based solution” that can also soak up and store carbon.
Freshwater ecosystems regulate the water cycle, support biodiversity and enhance resilience, yet they remain largely overlooked in global climate policies, and most national commitments lack clear, spatially defined targets for their protection and restoration. Here our global map—derived from 30-m land-cover classification, hydrological networks and floodplain models—reveals around 51 million km2 of rivers, wetlands, headwaters, riparian buffers and floodplains that are critical for water security and disaster risk reduction.
A review of the geology, palaeontology, genetic, and morphology studies indicates that during the mid-Miocene to Pliocene, New Guinea consisted of four island Blocks (Vogelkop, Maokop, Central, and Southeastern). The initial dispersal of marsupials from Australia was into the Vogelkop Block. The ancestors of at least six genera (Dactylonax, Microperorytes, Myoictis Pseudochirops, Spilocuscus, Tous) and three species (Dendrolagus inustus, Dendrolagus ursinus, Dorcopsis muelleri) of endemic New Guinean marsupials are likely to have reached New Guinea via this route.
The core objective of the conference was to provide a cross-disciplinary space that fosters new knowledge, inspires learning, and strengthens the science–policy interface. It was also a celebration of achievements and progress in ocean science and management, as well as regional collaboration.
An ecosystem is defined as a collection of organisms that move energy within and outside of a system, while sustaining both the system itself and the multiple services that benefit humanity. Ecosystem restoration, then, is ultimately concerned with reviving and maintaining ecosystem processes by repopulating organisms and enhancing the habitat after periods of disturbance or loss.
Equitable ocean governance is critical, as the oceans are essential to the planetary system and global health.oceans cover 71% of Earth’s surface and are crucial to our planet’s life-support system. Coastal and marineecosystems extend up to 100 kilometres inland, encompass the continental shelf, and include ocean systemswith depths of up to 50 metres. the distinct marine ecosystems found in these environments include estu-arine and coastal wetlands, such as marshes and mangroves, as well as sand beaches and dunes, seagrassbeds and coral and oyster reefs.
A prosperous blue economy in coastal areas requires operational models that clearly link ecological outcomes to economic returns. These models can support investment, planning, and the growth of non-extractive economies that benefit both coastal communities and the environment. Here, we focus on an Essential Ocean Variable—fish biomass—because it is a globally standardized and monitored variable with proven links to recovery and management. We connect this variable to a key economic output: scuba diving ecotourism, which is a critical component of many coastal economies.
Coral reefs face catastrophic collapse. Thermal tipping points for widespread, irreversible dieback have already been passed at 1.2–1.4°C of global warming. The ocean is already 30% more acidic since the Industrial Revolution began, weakening coral reefs growth – akin to the osteoporosis of the sea.
Unless we reduce global emissions at extraordinary speed and scale mass restoration with thermal resistant coral resilient to increasingly acidic waters – the future is dire: at 1.5°C, we lose 70-90% of reefs; at 2°C: 99% destruction.
Target 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the protection of 30% of terrestrial areas, inland waters, and marine and coastal areas through area-based conservation (protected areas and other effective conservation measures) by 2030. As we progress toward this target, there is a need to critically evaluate the potential impacts of marine area-based measures on small-scale fishing communities, whose well-being is intrinsically entwined with marine ecosystems.
The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) outlines targets for protecting and restoring biodiversity by 2030, with the vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. Although the 20-year vision clearly is aspirational, we emphasize that many forest attributes crucial for biodiversity—such as the abundance of large trees and the availability of dead wood—recover over much longer timescales.
