Mangrove removal exacerbates estuarine infilling through landscape-scale bio-morphodynamic feedbacks

Danghan Xie (), Christian Schwarz, Maarten G. Kleinhans, Karin R. Bryan, Giovanni Coco, Stephen Hunt and Barend van Maanen
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Danghan Xie: Utrecht University
Christian Schwarz: KU Leuven
Maarten G. Kleinhans: Utrecht University
Karin R. Bryan: University of Waikato
Giovanni Coco: University of Auckland
Stephen Hunt: Waikato Regional Council
Barend van Maanen: University of Exeter

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Changes in upstream land-use have significantly transformed downstream coastal ecosystems around the globe. Restoration of coastal ecosystems often focuses on local-scale processes, thereby overlooking landscape-scale interactions that can ultimately determine restoration outcomes. Here we use an idealized bio-morphodynamic model, based on estuaries in New Zealand, to investigate the effects of both increased sediment inputs caused by upstream deforestation following European settlement and mangrove removal on estuarine morphology. Our results show that coastal mangrove removal initiatives, guided by knowledge on local-scale bio-morphodynamic feedbacks, cannot mitigate estuarine mud-infilling and restore antecedent sandy ecosystems. Unexpectedly, removal of mangroves enhances estuary-scale sediment trapping due to altered sedimentation patterns. Only reductions in upstream sediment supply can limit estuarine muddification. Our study demonstrates that bio-morphodynamic feedbacks can have contrasting effects at local and estuary scales. Consequently, human interventions like vegetation removal can lead to counterintuitive responses in estuarine landscape behavior that impede restoration efforts, highlighting that more holistic management approaches are needed.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42733-1

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