COASTAL AREAS

• Phnom Penh, Cambodia

• Isahaya Bay, Japan

• Knife River Delta, Canada

• Ijsselmeer, Netherlands

• Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras

• Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador

• Huang He Delta, China

• Thonburi, Thailand

• Sundarban, India/Bangladesh

Coast of Spain, Credit: Digital Globe

COASTAL FACTS

• The oceans cover 70 per cent of the planet’s surface area and marine and coastal environments contain diverse habitats that support an abundance of marine life; coastal zones account for 20 per cent of the world’s land area

The oceans cover 70 percent of the planet’s surface area and

UNEP-CBD 2005; GEO Year Book 2006; UNEP 2005

• Coral reef ecosystems are increasingly being degraded and destroyed worldwide by a variety of human activities and by global warming

• Global harvests for marine fisheries have been above 80 million tonnes per year since the latter half of the 1980s, with peak of 87 million tonnes in 1997 and 2000

• Mangroves extend over 18 million hectares (44 million acres) worldwide, covering a quarter of the world’s tropical coastlines

Shrimp farms replacing mangroves in Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras

1987-1999: shrimp farms and ponds have mushroomed, carpeting the landscape around the Gulf of Fonseca, in blocks of blue and black shapes

Loss of Mangrove in Ecuador’s largest seaport - Gulf of Guayaquil

1985-2000: Loss of mangrove; aquaculture grew 30 percent in a 15-year period

Dramatic changes in Huang He Delta, China

Images show the mouth of the Yellow River and the emergence of a huge parrot-headed peninsula

• 1979-2000: Huang He’s yellow color is the result of huge loads of sediments

Changes in Huang He Delta, China

• From 1989 to 1995 the Yellow River delta area grew

• From 1995 to 2000 the Yellow River delta area shrank

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Replacement of mangroves by aquaculture in Thon Buri, Thailand

• 1973-1978: Area is caught in the battle between needs of people versus the welfare of the coastal areas

• 2002: Shows extensive aquaculture ponds (blue patches inland)

Sundarban: Largest mangrove forest of the world, India/Bangladesh

Forest degradation has been occurring in many parts of Sundarbans

Shrimp farming is a major threat to mangrove forests

These images show the extent of flooding and extensive ditches and canals used for irrigation

• 2000: Taken during the period of flooding

• 2001: Taken after the flood waters had receded

Impact of flooding in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

• 1993: Turning tidal lands into farmlands

• 2001: The straight line of the sea wall is visible

• 2003: The area has been fully reclaimed from the sea

Land reclamation changes along Isahaya Bay, Japan

Coastal vegetation change along Knife River Delta, Canada

• 1973: Impact of snow geese on coastal vegetation

• 1996: Overgrazing has turned the shoreline into an enormous mudflat

These images show the transformation of polders (areas of reclaimed land) into useable farming land

• 1973-2004: lighter blue water is the Markermeer – buffer against floodwaters

• 2004: this area of reclaimed land was covered with farms

Transformation of Ijsselmeer The Netherlands

One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment

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COASTAL AREAS