Preston, J;
Debney, A;
Gamble, C;
Hardy, MJ;
Underwood, GJC;
Garbutt, A;
Harley, J;
... Zu Ermgassen, PSE; + view all
(2025)
Seascape connectivity: evidence, knowledge gaps and implications for temperate coastal ecosystem restoration practice and policy.
npj Ocean Sustainability
, 4
, Article 33. 10.1038/s44183-025-00128-3.
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Abstract
Temperate coastal marine ecosystems have undergone severe global loss and degradation. We provide a framework for considering ecological connectivity in marine systems and evidence for ecological connectivity across temperate coastal seascapes, developed through expert consensus and structured review. We demonstrate that ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services require the existence of a healthy mosaic of coastal habitats, maintained by the exchanges of matter and energy between them. We advocate a seascape approach, that restores connectivity and optimal structure-function relationships, is crucial for successful ecosystem restoration. Consequently, we provide recommendations to deliver seascape restoration of coastal habitats to support the targets set by the 2021-30 UN Decades of Ocean Science and Ecosystem Restoration. Acknowledging the interconnected nature of coastal ecosystems has implications for policy. We identify opportunities and actions to support nature recovery and integrate policy frameworks across climate and biodiversity agendas to achieve international goals for planetary resilience.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Seascape connectivity: evidence, knowledge gaps and implications for temperate coastal ecosystem restoration practice and policy |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s44183-025-00128-3 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00128-3 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Keywords: | Marine biology, Restoration ecology |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10212438 |
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