Data for "Threatened fauna that use coastal wetland ecosystems: a review from Australia"

Amid the global biodiversity and climate crises, the restoration of coastal wetlands, also known as blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves and tidal marshes, may offer multiple biodiversity and climate mitigation benefits. However, information on species-specific use of coastal wetlands remains unconsolidated and inaccessible to many land managers. Here we compile a database and examine broad ecological patterns of the use of mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass by threatened Australian fauna, including amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles. The database is presented within an open-access web tool(opens in new window) to assist with restoration decisions and monitoring actions. We identified 30 threatened species that depend on coastal wetlands (‘obligates’), and a further 160 threatened species that use and benefit from the resources coastal wetlands provide (‘facultatives’). Obligate species included the Critically Endangered Orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), and the Endangered Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) and Mangrove ant-blue butterfly (Acrodipsas illidgei). Obligate species displayed many characteristics associated with higher extinction risk compared to facultative species, including smaller home range sizes, diurnal activity and carnivorous diet. Habitat loss and degradation were key threatening processes for 90% of obligate species. There were large disparities in available information for obligate species, with very little known about many invertebrates, leading to greater uncertainty in species ranges and level of reliance on coastal wetlands. With habitat loss and degradation driving declining population trajectories in threatened species, the conservation importance and potential benefit of future coastal wetland protection and restoration projects is pronounced. Our results and web tool facilitate project planning by enabling the rapid identification of potential target species, alongside species-specific survey methods, population trajectories and key threats.