Effects of land-derived anthropogenic stressors on temperate mangrove forests
- Author
- Thomson T
- Year
- 2024
- Journal / Source
- PhD in Biological Sciences
- Publisher / Organisation
- University of Waikato
- Pages
- 193 pp
- Keywords
- New Zealand
- Summary
- Coastal ecosystems worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges due to ever increasing human activities, resulting in increased land-derived stressors that can threaten the health and integrity of these systems. Mangrove forests are unique ecosystems that play a crucial role in filtering nutrients, retaining pollutants, and sequestering carbon. However, to what extent they are impacted by an intensification of human pressures is unclear and empirical evidence of landscape-scale effects of a holistic view of the ecosystem is scarce. This thesis investigates the effects of human land use on several aspects of temperate mangrove ecosystems and aims to identify potential vulnerabilities of ecosystem processes to provide a holistic view on the impacts that humans are having on these important ecosystems.