Researchers at the University of Newcastle have found coastal wetlands, which have existed for thousands of years, may now have the same average life expectancy as humans.
The new study predicted a lifespan of approximately 80 years for wetlands, with the possibility of serious deterioration after 40 years due to the restriction of water flow and sea level rise.
Senior Lecturer, Dr. Jose Rodriguez says attenuation, or the process of man-made structures restricting water flow, is also a prime cause of wetland decay.
"When you build a road across a wetland, the tide is allowed to move in and out to the other side of the road through culverts or bridges instead of freely flowing," he said.
"As a result, it takes more time and energy for the water to reach the other side. Vegetation is very sensitive to that so this is going to result in worse conditions for the vegetation."
But despite indications that the wetlands are decaying far quicker than previously thought, researchers believe there are ways we can still ensure its survival.
"One of the things that we can do is provide space for wetlands to move," said Dr. Rodriguez.
"With sea level rise, the vegetation will adapt and will try to move inland. The problem is sometimes we don't have those buffer zones in the upper area of the vegetation so we need to provide for buffer zones in that area.
"The other thing that we can do is try to provide adequate hydraulic conditions for the wetland and we can do that with gates and other ways of manipulating the flow within the wetland."
