Extremes of drought and flooding, no snow in winter, heat waves in the Northern Hemisphere and still wearing a winter coat at the beginning of May are just few of the many signs of climate change.
What few might realise is that when we impact the environment of one corner of the earth, the effect ripples in the remaining three.
Oysters are keystone species to generate biodiversity and bring our oceans to balance again. Their impact on the marine habitat is incredibly positive, but they also offer many benefits beyond the water.
It is also important to acknowledge the broader scope of coastal restoration efforts, such as kelp, seagrass or mangrove restoration projects.
These are the benefits of nature restoration projects for coastal communities.
Wading or water birds are either native or passing migrating birds common to shorelines, river mouths and estuaries. A decline in the population of some wader species has been linked to a decrease in the availability of food and settlement surfaces. The restoration of oyster beds is the solution to help wading birds.
More houses built in an area means more wastewater reaching the water systems. This raises levels of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen which can speed up the growth of algae in the water. In this article, we explain all about how the nutrient neutrality measures are affecting homebuilders and people trying to buy a home.
Nitrogen is part of the air we breathe and an essential element for growth and reproduction in plants and animals. But in the last decades there has been excessive use of synthetic fertilisers in agriculture, containing high levels of nitrogen.
As a result, algal blooms take place and the oxygen in the water becomes unavailable for fish that die, leading to marine dead zones.
We are used to hearing about CO2 and Carbon emissions. But lately, there is a new term that is often mentioned when talking about sustainability and climate change. That term is “nitrogen”, and is often followed by “crisis”.
Why is nitrogen all of a sudden a matter of concern?
Today, the aquaculture industry supplies most of the oysters on the market. Once consumed, oyster shells are often thrown away and become trash. Today, the high calcium carbonate content of the shells also finds application in cement production, glass making, food preservation and even cosmetics! But little do people know how precious these shells are to oyster larvae in nature.
The traditional marine conservation model depends on philanthropic funds, a linear model with no possibility of scale. The solution is simple: we need to start accounting for the value that regeneration brings (there is a whole lot of it that we describe in other blogs) and selling that value to buyers that need it.
The ocean acts as a carbon sink, absorbing large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, human activities have led to ocean acidification due to excessive CO2. Phytoplankton and other marine creatures like oysters absorb CO2 and trap it in their skeletons and shells, effectively removing it from the atmosphere and the water column.
