Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: Coastal ecosystems

The Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems (PAGE) reports that nearly 30% of global coastal land area has been altered or destroyed by human demand. Increasing coastal populations, rising nutrient pollution, overfishing, and the effects of global climate change—including rising sea levels and warmer oceans—threaten the capacity of these ecosystems to provide essential services such as food, biodiversity, and shoreline stabilization.

• Human activities have caused extensive alterations to coastal ecosystems globally, with nearly 30 percent of the land area in these ecosystems already extensively altered or destroyed due to demands for recreation, industry, and housing.
• The population living within 100 km of the coast grew from approximately 2 billion in 1990 to 2.2 billion in 1995, representing four out of every ten people globally. This growth is expected to increase pollutant loads and the conversion of coastal habitats.
• Coastal ecosystems face multiple compounding pressures: nutrient pollution has risen sharply this century from aquaculture, industrial and domestic sewage, and fertilizer use; major fish stocks are depleted or declining due to fishing pressure; and global climate change adds further stress via rising sea levels, changing storm frequency, altered ocean circulation, and warmer ocean temperatures.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: Coastal ecosystems. https://www.wri.org/research/pilot-analysis-global-ecosystems-coastal-ecosystems

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: Coastal ecosystems. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/pilot-analysis-global-ecosystems-coastal-ecosystems.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: Coastal ecosystems |url=https://www.wri.org/research/pilot-analysis-global-ecosystems-coastal-ecosystems |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendpilot, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: Coastal ecosystems}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/pilot-analysis-global-ecosystems-coastal-ecosystems}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }