Vital ecosystems in tidal flats lost to development and rising sea levels

First global coastline survey shows 16% of tidal flats lost between 1984 and 2016

Coastal development and sea level rise are causing the decline of tidal flats along the world's coastlines, according to research that has mapped the ecosystems for the first time.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Queensland used machine-learning to analyse more than 700,000 satellite images to map the extent of and change in tidal flats around the globe.