Report: N.J. wetlands at risk

New Jersey and the East Coast could lose most of their vital coastal wetlands to a rising sea, according to a new study.

“The future’s not rosy,” said Michael Craghan, study coauthor and director of the nonprofit Middle Atlantic Center for Geography and Environmental Studies in Manasquan.

If the trend continues, existing development and shore protection efforts will likely block the inland migration of most tidal wetlands in New Jersey as the sea level rises, according to the study, published today in Environmental Research Letters.

…The study estimates that nearly three-fifths of the land within 1 meter (3.3 feet) of high water along the Atlantic coast is expected to be developed and unable to accommodate migrating wetlands.

Only 9 percent of the land as been set aside for conservation, the study says.

Ensuring that coastal wetlands can migrate inland is “hugely important,” he said.

Courier-Post