Abstract

Coastal wetlands—including marshes, mangroves, and tidal flats—rank among the most productive and valuable ecosystems on Earth. They offer critical services such as storm buffering, carbon storage, water purification, and support for biodiversity [2,3]. These ecosystems have also sustained human settlements for over 7,000 years, particularly in fertile river deltas that nurtured the rise of early urban civilizations [4,5].