Coastal areas
Coast lands often attract human activity and some are very sensitive environments. Mangrove swamps are easily degraded and are often developed for aquaculture, housing, industrial and dock facilities; they are also difficult to rehabilitate if polluted with oil spills. Many of the world’s coral reefs are being degraded by various activities. Reef and mangrove swamp damage both result in loss of biodiversity and expose coast lands to greater risk of storm damage. Tourism development can cause considerable damage to coastal areas, and there is a likelihood that global warming will have particular impact on these areas in coming decades.