Coastal Exploitation Research Articles

Finding the right plaice at the right time: Multi‐molecular analysis of flatfish reveals historical catch habitats

AbstractFlatfish are ecologically diverse species that commonly occur in marine environments, but also in estuarine and riverine habitats. This complicates the examination of the potential role of flatfish in the ‘marine fish event horizon’, an economic shift in human exploitation from freshwater to marine fish species during the 10–11th centuries CE around the southern North Sea. This study represents the first multi‐disciplinary investigation of flatfish remains to make species‐specific interpretations of flatfish exploitation. Peptide mass fingerprinting and multi‐isotope analysis of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and sulphur (δ34S) was performed on collagen from 356 archaeological flatfish and 120 comparative archaeological marine or freshwater species to explore the catch habitat of individual flatfish species between 600 and 1600 CE from the North Sea area. European flounder show signals reflecting both freshwater and marine environments, while other flatfish show only those of marine habitats. A subtle shift towards more marine exploitation towards the end of the period is identified, corresponding to the observed transition in targeted species from flounder to plaice throughout the medieval period. Sites show slight differences in δ13C and δ34S within the same species, related to the local environments. Remarkable is the high abundance of marine plaice and flounder during the early medieval period, which shows clear marine or coastal exploitation of flatfish early on, well before the previously accepted onset of the marine fish event horizon. This indicates a gradual shift from coastal to open marine fish exploitation over the medieval period.

Salt in Late Iron Age Italy. A multidisciplinary approach to the exploration of Italy’s coastal exploitation sites: Piscina Torta (Ostia, Rome) case study

During the Copper Age and onwards, unique archaeological sites emerged throughout Europe. These sites exhibit distinct features such as the absence of typical household pottery, the presence of kilns, and extensive layers composed solely of fragments of reddish-brown jars. Scholars generally interpret these sites as specialized locations for salt production through the technique of boiling saltwater, known as briquetage. In Italy, many of these sites are found along the Tyrrhenian coast and span from the Middle Bronze Age to the Roman era, with a particular concentration during the early Iron Age. However, the archaeological evidence in Italy differs from that of other European sites, suggesting that these Italian sites were not solely dedicated to salt production but also involved other economic activities. To delve deeper into the understanding of these sites and their socio-economic context, the University of Groningen initiated the Salt & Power: Early States, Rome and Resource Control project in 2021. The project aims to comprehensively analyze these sites and shed light on the production of salt within their broader societal and economic framework.In this contribution, we present preliminary findings derived from intensive surveys, coring campaigns, and geophysical investigations conducted at one such site, Piscina Torta. This site is believed to be connected to the city of Rome and dates back to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. Furthermore, we propose a multidisciplinary workflow for studying specialized sites, incorporating various research methodologies and disciplines.

An Overview of Coastline Extraction from Remote Sensing Data

The coastal zone represents a unique interface between land and sea, and addressing the ecological crisis it faces is of global significance. One of the most fundamental and effective measures is to extract the coastline’s location on a large scale, dynamically, and accurately. Remote sensing technology has been widely employed in coastline extraction due to its temporal, spatial, and sensor diversity advantages. Substantial progress has been made in coastline extraction with diversifying data types and information extraction methods. This paper focuses on discussing the research progress related to data sources and extraction methods for remote sensing-based coastline extraction. We summarize the suitability of data and some extraction algorithms for several specific coastline types, including rocky coastlines, sandy coastlines, muddy coastlines, biological coastlines, and artificial coastlines. We also discuss the significant challenges and prospects of coastline dataset construction, remotely sensed data selection, and the applicability of the extraction method. In particular, we propose the idea of extracting coastlines based on the coastline scene knowledge map (CSKG) semantic segmentation method. This review serves as a comprehensive reference for future development and research pertaining to coastal exploitation and management.

Morphological evolution of paired sand spits at the Fudu river mouth: Wave effects and anthropogenic factors

Sand spits are fragile landforms that have rich values in economic, ecology, landscape and many other respects. They are quite diverse in morphology and their evolution mechanisms are influenced by various hydrodynamic and morphologic factors. Although morphological evolution of sand spits has been well documented, emanative paired sand spits stretching in opposite directions are relatively unexplored. In this study, a pair of emanative sand spits, which have experienced a dramatic evolution in the past decades, at the Fudu river mouth, on the eastern coast of the Bohai Sea, China, are investigated. The shoreline data detected from satellite images between 1984 and 2020 obtained through a free cloud-based platform Google Earth Engine were used to quantify the morphological evolution of the paired sand spits. The offshore wave data derived from a high temporal and spatial resolutions wave hindcast database along the Chinese coast were combined to explore their evolution mechanisms. Results show that the morphological evolution of the paired sand spits is dominated by the different breaking wave characteristics at flanks of the river mouth, which is formed by the geomorphic modulation of the bimodal offshore wave climate. The sand spit at south flank is typically formed by longshore sediment transport like many other cases, while the spit at north flank is fed by intertidal bars through onshore sediment transport and presents good resilience to storm waves and human disturbances. Although several degradation characteristics were caused by storm waves, it is indicated that sediment supply reduction and interception of sediment transport caused by intense human activities are the primary reasons for the degradation of the paired sand spits. The present investigation enriches the maintaining and degradation mechanisms of paired sand spits and suggests that sufficient attention should be paid to the resilience of geomorphic systems in coastal exploitation.

U-Th dating, taphonomy, and taxonomy of shell middens at Klasies River main site indicate stable and systematic coastal exploitation by MIS 5c-d

The archaeological record, particularly of shellfish, from the Klasies River main site (KRM) is important in understanding the fluctuating nature of coastal occupational patterns and changing coastal ecologies. In this paper, we provide new uranium–thorium (U-Th) dates for one of the earlier phases of coastal exploitation at KRM, and the microstratigraphic analyses generate novel information about the taphonomy of shell-bearing deposits from the Later Stone Age (LSA) to the MSA I period that, in turn, provide a broader context for middening at the site. A wide range of syndepositional taphonomic processes related to human activities and post-depositional effects include burning, fragmentation and compaction, chemical alteration, and cementation. Despite such issues influencing recovery, shellfish data are informative and are presented from three layers of the Witness Baulk: Shell Midden One (SMONE), Black Occupational Soils (BOS), and Silty Black Soils (SBLS). These coarse shell midden deposits exhibit visible decalcification coupled with cementation with secondary carbonate formation in association with conditions of high moisture and soft sedimentation deformation of the underlying sediments of SBLS. This stratigraphy section is chronologically anchored for the first time using U-Th dating of speleothems associated with a hiatus after the deposition of BOS. The three ages, 110,060 ± 1,100, 109,800 ± 970, and 106,000 ± 2,100 years, place the BOS layer as the base of the SASL sub-member at over 110 ka, making the underlying middens from the LBS member even older. The zooarchaeological analyses of the three layers indicate coastal ecological changes from more sheltered conditions prior to the hiatus, with the exploitation of alikreukel and brown mussels predominating. Before 110 ka, in BOS and SBLS, more exposed coastal conditions occurred, and the diversity of exploited shellfish increased. SMONE and BOS are associated with MSA II/Mossel Bay lower lithic technology and SBLS with MSA I technology, indicating asynchronous coastal ecological and technological changes. The MIS 5c-d evidence for early coastal occupation at KRM provides details on the period during which coastal occupation became stable and systematic on the South African coast and puts the KRM amongst the handful of sites with shell-bearing deposits, occurring prior to 110 ka in South Africa.

Exploring ecosystem responses to coastal exploitation and identifying their spatial determinants: Re-orienting ecosystem conservation strategies for landscape management

Coastal ecosystems provide important ecosystem services (ESs) and have been subject to conservation and restoration efforts in China for decades. However, ecosystem responses to coastal exploitation activity and their spatial determinants have not been sufficiently evaluated, which limits the efficacy of ecosystem restoration efforts. To fill these gaps, this study assessed the dominant change trends in ESs in southeastern China since the 1980s using an integrated biophysical model. Moreover, we explored the determinants of ESs, their spatial heterogeneity, and spillover effects via spatial econometrics and geospatial analysis approaches. The results indicate that coastal exploitation, particularly rapid urbanization and land reclamation, profoundly altered landscape composition and further affected ESs. In urbanization hotspots, rapid land use/cover conversion (i.e., wetland, woodland, and grassland losses) and increasingly intensive human activities have substantially lowered carbon stock, soil retention, and habitat quality services while increasing water yield and nitrogen export. Environmental, socioeconomic, and landscape variables were identified as important determinants of ES changes and exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity and spillover effects. Our findings indicate that such indicators are highly useful for ecosystem assessments, modeling, and forecasting for ES management and conservation efforts. The identified spatial determinants and their spillover effects demonstrate that regional landscape planning and ecosystem management must consider environmental, socioeconomic, and landscape indicators from a regionally integrated perspective and coordinate cross-border collaborations from neighboring areas to improve the efficacy of ecological projects. Our findings provide important references for scheme optimization and strategy adjustment for ES management, both in the study region and globally.

الهشاشة الطبيعية وعالقتها بتطور أنماط التدخل البشري بالساحل الشمالي ألسفي: حالة ساحل "كرام الضيف" (الواجهة االطلنتية الوسطى – المغرب)

The location of the Eddaif karram coastline in the middle Atlantic fringe is one of the factors characterizing the spatial dynamics, with its effects on the vulnerable natural characteristics, and the modes of coastal exploitation. By manifesting itself at the level of the change in agrarian structure from market gardening to cereals, due to the degradation of natural resources such as water and soil, and the change in the land function from agriculture to urbanization and tourist activities. This coastal environment has been affected by external factors, which have had an impact on its environmental and socio-economic characteristics, represented by its proximity to the tourist center of Oualidia, which is experiencing rapid urban growth, which makes it affected by the repercussions of the high population density, which translates into a large quantity of polluted water resulting from household waste from Wastewater, which has affected the water table and wetlands, which are experiencing increasing degradation. Hence the importance of this article to explain the factors influencing the development of human intervention in the Karam Eddaif coastline, through the analysis of aerial photos of different time periods using imagery systems. geographical information, in addition to relying on field research to determine the various changes that have occurred in the relationship of the local population to the exploitation of the coast.

Methodological framework for identifying sustainability intervention priority areas on coastal landscapes and its application in China

In regional sustainability evaluation and policy analysis, the paradigm of safe operating spaces (SOS) has been widely applied. Yet, SOS is not readily useful for informing policy interventions toward sustainability transition. This study reports on a methodological framework that operationalizes SOS at the regional scale for designing spatially targeted sustainability interventions. In particular, this framework accounts for teleology by integrating policy orientations of the place-variant “major function” of development, and provides early-warnings by integrating long-term social-environmental trends. The framework we proposed has been applied by the Chinese government in a coastal province (Liaoning) for a landscape sustainability project, which is introduced here step-by-step. The four main steps include: (1) Quantifying SOS status across multiple “what to sustain” dimensions, e.g., land scarcity, water scarcity, pollutant discharge, and ecosystem health for the inland, and coastal exploitation intensity, marine environmental quality, and marine ecosystem biodiversity for the sea. (2) Quantifying SOS status in terms of the place-variant “what to develop” dimensions, e.g., urbanization-oriented, agriculture-stock-oriented, versus conservation-oriented development. (3) Integrating the two as a composite indicator of three ordinal levels to classify the current SOS status. (4) Developing a multi-level sustainability early-warning system by cross-analysis of the SOS status and social-environmental interaction trends (e.g., changes in, e.g., resource utilization efficiency, pollutant discharge, and eco-environmental quality). The potential use of the framework is demonstrated through the case of Liaoning Province, China, which helps policy-makers to identify priority areas for sustainability interventions. Methodological robustness and future directions of applying this multi-level sustainability early-warning system are further discussed.

LANDASAN HUKUM PEMBERIAN HAK WILAYAH PESISIR DAN PULAU TERHADAP MASYARAKAT ADAT DI PROVINSI KEPULAUAN RIAU

The aim of this article is to anlyze the legal basis of granting coastal and island territory to indigenous people in the Province of Riau to connected with the issuance of legislation on the management of coastal areas and small islands in the provisions of regulation Number. 27/2007 and the rights of local coastal waters and small islands according to goverment regulation Number 40/1996, especially in clause of 60 starting for granting of business rights, building rights and land rights that are entirely island or bordered by the beach are governed by the goverment regulation and it’s regulation. In this article used the normative juridical methodology, the author used in this article study of references that conducted used secondary data, namely collecting data from various literature from the law, books, documents and archieves related to this issue. Thus, the analysis used by collecting data to be processed and analyzed according to the nature of the collected data, for futher presented by the analyst evaluative. This scientific writing shows that the rights of the coastal water exploitation contained in regulation Number 27/2007 abaout PWP3K is one of legal norms governing coastal, but it turns out to cause pros and cons.

Ecological responses to the coastal exploitation of urban agglomerations along the Pearl River Estuary

With the rapid development of urban agglomerations in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), an increasing number of ecological problems have been exposed to the surrounding coastal zones. The timely and accurate understanding of the eco-environment in PRE has become of increasing concern. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate multi-temporal eco-environment conditions and then detect the conflicting patterns of the eco-environment under the influence of coastal exploitation in PRE. The ecological index was derived from remote sensing images by means of principal component analysis, and the composite coastal development index was then constructed to characterize the coastal exploitation from the perspective of ecological influence, which was implemented by using the panel data analysis. This method was verified with a significant test accuracy of 0.9. Based on this, the coupling coordination patterns of the coastal economy–environment system were disclosed for all six prefectural units at both the pixel scale and the city scale. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree and inner coupling relationships in each city presented periodical characteristics, with the highest values in 2008 and the lowest values in 1988. The dominant conflict between coastal exploitation and the eco-environment in each period was capricious. This evaluation will provide a reference for decision-making in coastal zone planning and ecological red line policy to encourage the sustainable development of coastal zones.

Computational investigation on hydrodynamic and sediment transport responses influenced by reclamation projects in the Meizhou Bay, China

Reclamation projects are the main method of coastal exploitation, and the hydrodynamic environmental effect, together with the sediment transport response of the reclamation project, is important to the project’s site selection and environmental protection. Herein, a 3D numerical model based on the finite volume community ocean model (FVCOM) is applied to simulate the changes in the Meizhou Bay’s hydrodynamic environment and sediment transport after a reclamation project. The reclamation project greatly alters the shape of the shoreline and narrows the bay, leading to a significant change in its hydrodynamic environment and sediment transport. After the project, the clockwise coastal residual current in the corner above the Meizhou Island gradually disappears. An obvious counter-clockwise coastal residual current emerges around the rectangular corner. The tidal prism decreases by 0.65 × 109 and 0.44 × 109 m3 in the spring and neap tides, respectively. The residence time presents a major increase. These changes lead to the weakening of the water exchange capacity and the reduction of the self-purification capacity of the bay. Currents in the tidal channel weaken, whilst currents in the horizontal channel strengthen. The strength and scope of particle trajectories around the horizontal channel and the Meizhou Island enhance. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) increases in the majority of the Meizhou Bay but decreases in the lateral bay. The eastern corner of Z2 shows a tendency to erode. The western region of the Meizhou Island, the upper portion of the rectangular corner and the western corner of Z4 show a tendency to deposit. The reclamation project increases the maximum storm surges by 0.06 m and decreases the maximum significant wave heights by 0.09 m.

Poor fisheries data, many fishers, and increasing tourism development: Interdisciplinary views on past and current small-scale fisheries exploitation on Holbox Island

Holbox Island is a contemporary hotspot for global tourism. Here, long-term coastal exploitation and increasing anthropogenic activities threaten coastal habitats and resources. The impact of these activities is exacerbated by the lack of a management plan for the past 24 years, until October 2018. An interdisciplinary approach that integrates fishers’ traditional knowledge was used to determine how small-scale fisheries (SSF) exploitation contributed to the decline of resources over time. Open interviews with community members and surveys of fishers’ perspectives on fisheries overexploitation and practices as well as knowledge of fishing sites were collected. Over one hundred fishing sites were documented that were once very productive. Furthermore, over 40 species were highly fished (e.g., Carcharhinidae, Shpyrnidae, Pristidae, Cheloniidae) over the past 50 years. Survey results allowed for the construction of maps with baseline information of coastal exploitation. Additional data from archaeozoological remains (n= 545) of aquatic fauna identified 33 families of exploited taxa, of which finfish (e.g., Haemulidaea, Ariidae, Serranidae), sharks (e.g., Carcharhinidae), and sea turtles were the most abundant. Fishers and literature sources (n= 50) document Holbox’s contemporary issues, including overfishing, illegal fishing, and accelerated tourism development. These types of data (fishers’ perspectives, interdisciplinary literature, and archaeozoological data) were combined using historical ecology techniques and geospatial tools to obtain novel baseline information on SSF exploitation. This information is essential for conservation managers and scientists to meet the management needs of Holbox’s natural and social capital, which can assure the future provision of coastal ecosystem services to humans.

Dynamics of Red River Delta (Vietnam) and Main Problems in Coastal Natural Resource Exploitation

Processes of accretion and abrasion and possibilities of using the main natural resources in the maritime coastal areas of the Red River delta in the north of Vietnam are considered. Quantitative data on erosion and accretion are provided for the period since 1930 till the present, and the level of accretion and erosion processes is estimated according to their intensity and prevalence. Three periods of development of accretion and erosion in three areas of the Red River delta have been identified, and the results of cartographic and quantitative analysis of their intensity are presented. It was determined that the erosion areas in some periods reached 47 ha/year with the destruction rate of the coast as high as 9.2 m/year and the rate of accretion 445 ha/year, and the seaward shift of the coastline with the velocity of up to 37.6 m/year. The most eroded coastal areas are Wang Li and Hai Hau, and accretion is largest in Ba Lat. The area characteristics of the eroded and accretion areas are given for ten coastal regions from the city of Haiphong to Ninh Bin Province. It is shown that the dynamical processes in the coastal zone of the northern part of Vietnam significantly complicate the use of natural resources and their economic development. The specific character and ecological problems of sea salt extraction, cultivation of aquaculture, restoration of mangrove vegetation in the maritime and coastal zone of the Red River delta are considered. It was determined that irrational use of the coastal territories gives rise to environmental problems and to a decrease in economic efficiency of natural resource management. It is concluded that the identified patterns of formation of the estuary should be properly identified and, on this basis, it is advisable to develop balanced methods for sustainable use of natural resources of the coastal regions of Vietnam, including coastal shoals.

An index-based spatial evaluation model of exploitative intensity: A case study of coastal zone in Vietnam

Coastal zones play a major role in the conservation of marine ecosystems and the sustainable use of resources not only because of their special geographical environment but also because of their high temporal and spatial variability. With the development of urbanization, the exploitation and utilization of coasts have become important issues in the debate. To evaluate variations in the intensity of the land resource exploitation of coastal zones, an index- based model has been proposed in this paper, and coastal Vietnam has been established as the study area. The model is based on four normalized indexes to realize rapid evaluation of the spatial distribution of the exploitative intensity after zoning. The model was established to characterize the different exploitative intensities in different segments of the coast and to graphically present a sequence of decision choices for decision-makers. The results are as follows. (1) The simplicity and rapidity of the index operations can address the fast-changing characteristics of coastal exploitation and meet the desired precision. (2) The choices of the landward buffers fit well with the banded characteristics of the coastal zone. The buffers are horizontally divided into equidistant subregions, which can quantify the spatial differentiation of the exploitative intensity along the coast and perpendicular to the coast. (3) The average exploitative intensity is low, and the proportion of area that is to be exploited accounts for approximately 50%.Considering its spatial variation from north to south, the land exploitative intensity in the north is higher than that in the south. Compared to the intensity of land resource exploitation in the 20 km and 10 km buffers, the land exploitative intensity in the 5 km buffer is higher. The state of the intensity of land resource exploitation and how it can be used by stakeholders to manage coastal resources are then discussed.

Dynamics of Red River delta (Vietnam) and main problems in coastal natural resource exploitation.

Dynamics of Red River delta (Vietnam) and main problems in coastal natural resource exploitation.

Seasonal Patterns of Coastal Exploitation on the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACTHere we present the results of the analysis of coastal exploitation patterns in the southern Red Sea during the Middle Holocene. We focus on the shell midden cluster of the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia, which comprises over 3,000 shell midden sites. These sites date from 6,500 to 4,500 cal BP and are part of an arid landscape. We focus on one site, JW1727, which provides a snapshot of marine exploitation and will help to understand the use of food resources within the region. Stable isotope values (δ18O) were collected from the marine gastropod Conomurex fasciatus (Born 1778), which represents 72% of shell weight of JW1727, in order to reconstruct the season of capture. Results demonstrate that 1) every season is represented within the dataset; and 2) there is increased C. fasciatus deposition during the summer and autumn months. This indicates a diet consisting of C. fasciatus throughout the year in combination with other food sources and an increase of the C. fasciatus component during the arid seasons, possibly linked to the unavailability of vegetation. Additionally, size measurements of C. fasciatus were carried out to examine changes in size distribution throughout the occupation of the site that could be related to overexploitation of C. fasciatus. However, no significant trends could be observed. In sum, the results suggest a sustainable and constant habitation of the Farasan Islands despite the highly arid conditions.

Traditional coastal management practices and land use changes during the 16–20th centuries, Jiangsu Province, China

Within the framework of global change research, the issues related to coastal management and adaptation represent an important focus. During the 16–19th centuries, there were complex coastal evolution patterns, diverse human activities and rich historical documents for the Jiangsu coast, eastern China. Hence, this region represents a unique place in the world for the study of the traditional coastal management practice. In the present contribution, we use the historical archives/documents and adopt multidisciplinary methods, to reveal the characteristics and changing patterns of the traditional management practice for the Jiangsu coast. We have found that the Jiangsu coastal management practice was dominated by the central government, including policies and legal norms for the coastal areas, e.g., tax policy. Although there were differences compared with the present-day coastal management, it was already more advanced than the management systems merely based on custom, taboos and cultural norms. To some extent, Jiangsu coastal management practice is typical for the pre-industrial period, which was an initial stage of modern coastal management. The governments of the Ming and Qing Dynasties paid more attention to sea salt industry than reclamation/agriculture in the land use policies, and set a strict administrative management system to implement coastal management for land resources, labors and coastal engineering. It had a profound impact on the Jiangsu coastal land development and socio-economic change. In the 16–19th centuries, with rapid accretion on the Jiangsu coast and the intense control of the central government, salt production was the main coastal exploitation activity. After the 19th century, the land use was converted to agricultural development. However, along with the coastal natural change, population growth and destruction of war, the demand of multifarious land uses increases rapidly. As a result, the traditional management pattern, which emphasized monopoly profits but lack of negotiation and coordination between different stakeholders, became gradually unsustainable and collapsed eventually; subsequently, agricultural development was the dominant socio-economic activity of the Jiangsu coastal region. Thus, the highly centralized management system in the pre-industrial periods for the China coasts was evolved gradually into a decentralization system, which was consistent with the trend of the development of modern coastal management.

Shellfish exploitation in Stone Age Arctic Norway: procurement patterns and household activities

ABSTRACTArchaeological evidence for coastal shellfish exploitation in Arctic Norway mostly dates from 5300 to 1500 BC, encompassing the terminal Mesolithic, the Late Stone Age, and the beginning of the Early Metal Period. Shell middens are generally associated with semi-subterranean houses, but may also occur as free-standing deposits. The primary shellfish taxa exploited were Littorina littorea, Arctica islandica and Mytilus edulis. Most of the species utilized were available in the littoral zone and were easily procured in the course of daily household activities, but sub-littoral A. islandica would have required greater investment in procurement technology and time, as well as labor cooperation. Shellfish were an occasional dietary supplement and could also serve as fishing bait. Spatial and temporal variation in shellfish assemblages reflects local marine ecology, sea-level changes, household dynamics, and perhaps field processing. Interpretation of the existing data is constrained by inadequate midden sampling and documentation methods.

Late Pleistocene and early Holocene exploitation of estuarine communities in northwestern Australia

This contribution synthesizes archaeological studies of human economies from the Barrow–Montebello islands and uses the area's archaeological record to determine the effects of Late Pleistocene and early Holocene sea-level rise on regional coastlines. At the height of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Australia's north-western coast extended much further west than the present-day shoreline. During subsequent sea-level rise, the gently prograding continental shelf was inundated, and with it, nearly all archaeological evidence for coastal occupation. The Barrow and Montebello Islands are one of the few exceptions, as they corresponded to inland hinterland ranges during the LGM, with the coastline lying some 50 km to their west. Evidence from all late Pleistocene and Holocene occupation phases of the Barrow–Montebello Islands demonstrate that foragers continued to visit the coast and engage in the exploitation of both terrestrial and marine environments. During the late Pleistocene, when the shoreline was 10–15 km away, coastal exploitation is seen through the presence of transportable estuarine and rocky-shore gastropods. By the early Holocene, when sea-levels were within close proximity of the sites, there is a marked increase in marine fauna including reef fish, estuarine and reef shellfish, crustaceans and estuarine crocodile. Together, this suggests that the nearby muddy, procumbent coastlines were productive, as well as an important component of coastal and hinterland economies.

Tidal flats of the Yellow Sea: A review of ecosystem status and anthropogenic threats

AbstractTidal flats provide ecosystem services to billions of people worldwide, yet their changing status is largely unknown. In the Yellow Sea region of East Asia, tidal flats are the principal coastal ecosystem fringing more than 4000 km of the coastlines of China, North Korea and South Korea. However, widespread loss of areal extent, increasing frequency of algal blooms, hypoxic dead zones and jellyfish blooms, and declines of commercial fisheries and migratory bird populations suggest that this ecosystem is degraded and declining. Here, we apply the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Ecosystems criteria to the Yellow Sea tidal flat ecosystem and determine that its status is endangered. Comparison of standardized remotely sensed habitat data and historic topographic map data indicated that in the last 50 years, a decline of more than 50% but less than 80% of tidal flat extent has occurred (criterion A1). Although restricted to a narrow band along the coastline, Yellow Sea tidal flats are sufficiently broadly distributed to be classified as least concern under criterion B. However, widespread pollution, algal blooms and declines of invertebrate and vertebrate fauna across the region result in a classification of endangered (C1, D1). Owing to the lack of long‐term monitoring data and the unknown impacts of severe biotic and abiotic change, the ecosystem was scored as data deficient for Criterion E and several subcriteria. Our assessment demonstrates an urgent need to arrest the decline of the Yellow Sea tidal flat ecosystem, which could be achieved by (i) improved coastal planning and management at regional and national levels, (ii) expansion of the coastal protected area network, and (iii) improved managed of existing protected areas to reduce illegal land reclamation and coastal exploitation.