Loss of Coastal Wetlands in Asia – Tracking the Loss with Spatial Analyses

New earth observation models are now being used to assess risks to coastal ecosystems. The overarching aim is to develop an operational system for monitoring losses and gains of saltmarsh, mangroves and tidal flat ecosystems at the global scale. These tools and systems allow the monitoring of ecosystem degradation, informing findings from long-term bird population monitoring, developing an alert system, feeding into advanced simulation models to assess the future risk of loss, and identifying local and global drivers of change. Ultimately, these models allow decision-makers to act more wisely and design more robust interventions.