Sandy beach ecosystem and species red listing highlight priorities for beach conservation and restoration

Abstract

Sandy beach ecosystems and species are often referred to as ‘threatened’ or even ‘endangered’. These terms carry specific meaning in the context of IUCN Red Listing, and although the expert judgement is largely correct, rarely are there formal assessments to back up the claims that beach ecosystems and species are at risk. Our aim was to undertake the first ecosystem and species red listing for sandy beaches and their macrofauna. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems criteria were applied to the 12 sandy beach ecosystem types in South Africa, using ecosystem maps, data on pressures to beaches, and structured expert assessment. The IUCN Red List of Species criteria were applied to 20 macrofauna species, using data from GBIF, iNaturalist, and field sampling, maps of threats to beaches, literature, and expert opinion. Three ecosystem types are Endangered, with a further four types being Near Threatened, and the remaining five being Least Concern. Of the 20 species assessed, four are Endangered (Tylos capensis, Tylos granulatus, Acanthoscelis ruficornis, Donax serra), three are Near Threatened (Africorchestia quadrispinosa, Capeorchestia capensis, Pachyphaleria capensis), and the remaining 13 are Least Concern. Notably, six of the seven threatened and Near Threatened species are supralittoral animals, and the other is harvested. We propose doing these analyses worldwide because systematic red listing can benchmark the risk of beach ecosystem and biodiversity loss, and highlight priorities for conservation and restoration, especially given the goals and targets in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.