Theme 3A: Restoration of intertidal and subtidal habitats.

Deterioration of coastal marine and estuarine habitats is inevitable in areas where human development is active. This is particularly the case in New South Wales (and throughout Australia) where a very large proportion of the population live on the edges of the coast-line. To sustain biodiversity and to maintain ecological processes and functions (for its own sake or for anthropocentric, human reasons), it will be necessary, for a very long time, to recreate, rebuild or repair habitats (Programme 3: Restoration of Disturbed Coastal Habitats). The science of restoration of coastal habitats is virtually unknown, and there is no sensible theory or understanding of how to create habitat that develops ecological function and maintains natural biodiversity. The biodiversity of animals and plants on rocky shores and in subtidal kelp-beds is vast, complex and variable in space and time. It is very different on many artificial hard surfaces (pilings, sea-walls, etc.) from that on natural rocky shores. As a result, it is necessary to find ways to change the construction of these essential infrastructural developments to enhance their capacity to provide suitable habitat for the natural fauna and flora of our coast-line.The Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities (EICC) has generated many scientific papers and theses from research projects on the restoration of intertidal and subtidal habitats. The link to the URL provided in this record provides a link to this research.

在人类开发活动活跃的区域，沿海海洋与河口生境的退化难以避免。这一情况在新南威尔士州（乃至全澳大利亚）尤为突出——该区域绝大多数人口聚居于沿海岸线地带。为保护生物多样性、维持生态过程与功能（无论出于生态自身价值还是人类中心主义的人类需求），在相当长的时期内，我们都需要对受损生境进行重建、修复与恢复（项目3：受干扰沿海生境修复）。目前沿海生境修复的相关科学研究几乎空白，尚无成熟的理论框架可指导如何构建兼具生态功能与自然生物多样性维持能力的生境。潮间带岩岸与潮下带海带床中的动植物生物多样性极为丰富、结构复杂，且随空间与时间动态变化。诸多人工硬质构筑物（如码头桩柱、海堤等）上的生物群落，与自然岩岸存在显著差异。因此，亟需优化此类关键基础设施的建造方案，以提升其为沿海岸线原生动植物提供适宜生境的能力。沿海城市生态影响研究中心（Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities, EICC）围绕潮间带与潮下带生境修复开展了多项研究，产出了大量学术论文与学位论文。本记录中附带的URL链接可直达该系列研究。