ABSTRACT

Sea level rise (SLR) has been described as one of the greatest potential causes of ecosystem disruption, putting many coastal areas at risk of irreversible changes. However, the loss of intertidal areas from SLR and the associated ecological and social repercussions receive little attention. Within estuaries, extensive intertidal areas harbour a variety of habitats and communities and represent hotspots of ecosystem functions. Any changes to their distribution or extent are likely to have far reaching implications. Here we summarise the ecological consequences of a reduction in intertidal area from increasing SLR, and the implications for people, management and planning. To facilitate this discussion, changes in the occurrence and abundance of two ecologically and culturally important intertidal shellfish species (Austrovenus stutchburyi and Macomona liliana) were modelled under different SLR scenarios for Tauranga Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand. We highlight how the squeezing of intertidal areas will likely alter the distribution and extent of key habitats and communities, and discuss the implications for coastal food webs, ecosystem functioning and service provision. Pre-emptive planning and adaptive management are needed that incorporate ecological losses in risk assessments and focuses on pro-active solutions to increase resilience to the effects of SLR.

摘要

海平面上升（SLR）被描述为生态系统破坏的最大潜在原因之一，使许多沿海地区面临不可逆转的变化的风险。然而，SLR 造成的潮间带丧失以及相关的生态和社会影响却很少受到关注。在河口内，广阔的潮间带地区拥有各种栖息地和群落，是生态系统功能的热点。其分布或范围的任何变化都可能产生深远的影响。在这里，我们总结了 SLR 增加导致潮间带面积减少的生态后果，以及对人员、管理和规划的影响。为了便于讨论，两种具有重要生态和文化意义的潮间带贝类物种的发生和丰度的变化（Austrovenus stutchburyi和Macomona liliana ) 在不同的 SLR 情景下为新西兰奥特阿罗亚的陶朗加港建模。我们强调潮间带地区的挤压将如何改变主要栖息地和社区的分布和范围，并讨论对沿海食物网、生态系统功能和服务提供的影响。需要先发制人的规划和适应性管理，将生态损失纳入风险评估，并侧重于积极主动的解决方案，以提高对 SLR 影响的抵御能力。