Climate change spells bad news for our coasts, and trees

Editor's note

Almost half of Australia’s coastal habitat has been damaged by extreme weather events linked to climate change. Mangroves, kelp and seagrass have all been affected and this has a knock-on effect as they’re vital for other marine life. But, as Russ Babcock and colleagues write, some of the areas will struggle to recover as these extreme weather events are set to get worse.

The trees in our cities are also in the front line of climate change, with new research finding some of the 30 most common species that make up more than half of Australia’s urban forest are unlikely to survive in some cities.

Michael Lund

Commissioning Editor

Top stories

Bleached staghorn coral on the Great Barrier Reef. Many species are dependent on corals for food and shelter. Damian Thomson

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Russ Babcock, CSIRO; Anthony Richardson, The University of Queensland; Beth Fulton, CSIRO; Eva Plaganyi, CSIRO; Rodrigo Bustamante, CSIRO

Corals, mangroves and seagrass habitats have been affected by extreme weather events, and some may never recover.

Australian cities could lose some of their most common trees to climate change. Jamen Percy/Shutterstock

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