Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.3897/natureconservation.62.163636
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) European riverine and coastal wetlands under pressure: biodiversity and climate change
Autor Kaden, U.S. ORCID logo ; Schmid, S.; Vieweg, M. ORCID logo ; Scholz, M. ORCID logo ; Dufour, S.
Quelle Nature Conservation-Bulgaria
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
Department NSF
Heft 62
Seite von 13
Seite bis 45
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords biodiversity loss; climate change impacts; coasts; ecosystem services; European wetlands; floodplains; nature-based solutions; wetland restoration
Abstract Although European coastal and riverine wetlands occupy a small share of the European land area, these ecosystems host remarkable biodiversity and provide a wide range of ecosystem services fundamental for human well-being, including clean water, recreation, food provision and climate regulation. Synthesising current knowledge across biogeographic regions, this review shows that only 12% of EU riverine and coastal wetland habitat types are in favourable condition, while the majority continue to deteriorate, mirrored by substantial declines in many wetland-dependent species. Climate-related impacts vary strongly across Europe and interact with existing human pressures such as land-use change, hydromorphological alteration, hydropower, coastal engineering and pollution, accelerating habitat and species loss and reducing the resilience of wetlands to climate change impacts. The paper calls for a rethinking of coastal and riverine wetlands as multifunctional landscapes and stresses the need for coordinated, cross-sectoral policy approaches. These wetlands are positioned not only as vulnerable systems but as pivotal Nature-based Solutions for achieving climate resilience and halting biodiversity loss, while remaining essential resources for human life support.
Kaden, U.S., Schmid, S., Vieweg, M., Scholz, M., Dufour, S. (2026):
European riverine and coastal wetlands under pressure: biodiversity and climate change
Nat. Conserv. (62), 13 - 45
10.3897/natureconservation.62.163636