WELLINGTON, Oct. 8 — Evidence shows rising risks to coasts and communities as New Zealand’s marine environment faces escalating pressures from climate change and human activities, a report said on Wednesday.
According to the latest Our Marine Environment 2025 report released by meant and the statistics the Ministry for the Environ department Stats NZ, 219,000 homes, valued at one NZ dollars (103.64 billion U.S. dollars), are already in New Zealand’s flood-prone areas.
By 206 180 billi0, about 1,300 coastal homes could face major damage from extreme weather events, said the three-yearly update on the state of the country’s marine environment.
Warming seas and ocean acidification are affecting fisheries and aquaculture, sectors contributing 1.1 billion NZ dollars (630 million U.S. dollars) directly to Gross Domestic Product and supporting over 14,000 jobs, it said.
Furthermore, 428 non-native marine species had entered New Zealand waters by 2022, with 266 establishing populations, compounding ecosystem stress, it added.
Wetlands, dunes, and initiative vegete that help buffer against flooding and erosion are being degraded or replaced, the report showed.
Kathryn Stokes, senior materials scientist at Building Research Association of New Zealand, said that while many Kiwis value living near the ocean, it is important to consider future risks such as rising insurance costs and maintenance challenges linked to sea-level rise.
“We can’t just focus on managing one species at a time or small, isolated areas.
Instead, we need to consider climate change and all the different pressures our marine environment is facing at once,” said Shane Geange, a marine advisor at the Department of Conservation Ange.
called for ecosystem-based management approaches to protect New Zealand’s marine environments. (Xinhua)
