Species Extinction
Human activities cause significant disruptions in the life cycles of ocean plants and animals. Habitat destruction occurs when the conditions necessary for plants and marine life to survive are significantly compromised or eliminated. Most areas of the world’s oceans are experiencing habitat loss with coastal areas suffering disproportionately – mainly from manmade stresses. Habitat loss has far-reaching impacts on the entire ocean’s biodiversity.
These critical areas, which include estuaries, swamps, marshes, and wetlands, serve as breeding grounds or nurseries for nearly all marine species. Hurricanes, typhoons, storm surges, and tsunamis can cause massive, though usually temporary, disruptions in the life cycles of ocean plants and animals. Human activities, however, are significantly more impactful and persistent.
Wetlands are dredged and filled in to accommodate urban, industrial, and agricultural development. Cities, factories, and farms create waste, pollution, and chemical effluent and runoff with negative impact on reefs, sea grasses, birds, and fish.
Inland dams decrease natural nutrient-rich runoff, cut off fish migration routes, and curb freshwater flow, increasing the salinity of coastal waters. Deforestation far from shore creates erosion, sending silt into shallow waters that can block the sunlight which coral reefs need to thrive.