Response of South African coastal wetlands to climate change

Abstract

The estuaries of South Africa host important coastal wetland habitats (seagrasses, salt marshes and mangroves) that provide a multitude of valuable ecosystem services. Estuaries are dynamic environments at the interface of the land and the sea, thus are subjected to multiple natural stressors. Coastal areas have also been historically heavily populated; thus estuaries are susceptible to anthropogenic activities associated with transformation and development. In South Africa, estuaries are under high anthropogenic pressure and most of the estuarine area has already been impacted to some extent [1]. The natural stressors acting on estuaries will be altered with climate change and acting synergistically with anthropogenic pressures, threaten estuarine habitats over a range of spatial extents and temporal periods [2,3]. An understanding of how climate change will affect coastal wetlands is necessary for producing realistic and achievable management and conservation strategies and plans. The South African coastline, spanning roughly 3,000 km, covers four biogeographical regions.

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