The Charisma of Coastal Ecosystems: Addressing the Imbalance

摘要: Coastal ecosystems including coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes are being lost at alarming rates, increased scientific understanding of causes has failed to stem these losses. habitats receive contrasting research effort, with 60% all the published carried out on compared 11–14% records for each marshes, meadows. In addition, highly connected interdependent coastal widely media attention that is disproportional their attention. Seagrass least in (1.3% reports) greater (6.5%), considerably more mangroves (20%), a dominant focus which subject three every four reports (72.5%). There approximately tenfold lower meadows paper (ten), than 130–150 per reefs. The lack public awareness losses less charismatic results continuation detrimental practices therefore contributes continued declines ecosystems. More effective communication knowledge about uncharismatic but ecologically important required. Effective use formal (e.g., school curricula, media) informal web) education avenues an partnership between scientists communicators essential raise issues, concerns, solutions within Only can ultimately inform motivate management