seagrass

marine reserves

invasive species

marine protected

mangrove

protected area

marine park

Marine megafauna and vegetated coastal wetland habitats (seagrasses, saltmarshes, and mangroves) are under intense threat and declining globally. Emerging research and novel methodologies have unveiled important, previously unknown habitat associations between marine megafauna and these habitats. Unless we can conceptualize and critically examine these habitat associations, management and conservation can be undermined. Identifying threatened species that are dependent on threatened habitats is essential for informing on actions to prevent population declines. Habitat loss is accelerating a global extinction crisis. Conservation requires understanding links between species and habitats. Emerging research is revealing important associations between vegetated coastal wetlands and marine megafauna, such as cetaceans, sea turtles, and sharks. But these links have not been reviewed and the importance of these globally declining habitats is undervalued. Here, we identify associations for 102 marine megafauna species that utilize these habitats, increasing the number of species with associations based on current International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species assessments by 59% to 174, accounting for over 13% of all marine megafauna. We conclude that coastal wetlands require greater protection to support marine megafauna, and present a simple, effective framework to improve the inclusion of habitat associations within species assessments. Habitat loss is accelerating a global extinction crisis. Conservation requires understanding links between species and habitats. Emerging research is revealing important associations between vegetated coastal wetlands and marine megafauna, such as cetaceans, sea turtles, and sharks. But these links have not been reviewed and the importance of these globally declining habitats is undervalued. Here, we identify associations for 102 marine megafauna species that utilize these habitats, increasing the number of species with associations based on current International Unio...

The Role of Vegetated Coastal Wetlands for Marine Megafauna Conservation