Tidal wetlands — salt marshes, mangroves, and mudflats — support diverse wildlife including shorebirds, fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates. Their degradation through development and pollution creates welfare losses alongside ecological ones.
Coastal wetland degradation creates welfare consequences through habitat compression and food resource depletion. Shorebirds that rely on tidal mudflats for invertebrate prey during migration face welfare stress when mudflats are developed or degraded by pollution: birds must spend more energy searching for less food in smaller areas. Fish that depend on mangrove nursery habitat face population pressure from the loss of critical juvenile rearing areas. The welfare dimension of coastal wetland protection is that individual animals experience the consequences of habitat loss through hunger, increased predation exposure from forced concentration, and energetic stress during migration and overwintering. Blue carbon restoration projects that restore mangroves and salt marshes address climate, biodiversity, and wildlife welfare simultaneously — a rare genuine triple benefit.