A research group has emphasised the crucial ecological importance of sharks in the Anthropocene – the era in which human impact on the planet is clearly noticeable. It concludes that adaptive strategies are necessary for the management of shark populations. Sharks are not just predators in the sea; they fulfil numerous important functions for marine ecosystems. However, many of these functions are still insufficiently researched, while shark populations are declining. A research team is therefore calling for better protection for sharks in order to preserve the health of the oceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The focus is not on protecting sharks as an end in itself, but on maintaining the health and resilience of marine ecosystems in the face of ongoing environmental change. The diverse group of sharks inhabits various ecological niches and habitats, from the open deep sea to coastal estuaries. In these areas, they act as predators, competitors, nutrient transporters and prey, providing numerous important ecosystem services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overfishing, habitat loss, climate change and other threats from human activities have severely depleted shark populations worldwide, with serious consequences for ecosystems. The research team argues in favour of restoring the most important shark populations and integrating their ecological role into conservation efforts. The team also calls for targeted research to better understand the functions of sharks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the authors, large predatory shark species in particular are disproportionately affected by human activities, which has an impact on coastal ecosystems and processes such as carbon storage. At the same time, human activities in the oceans continue to increase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A research group has emphasised the crucial ecological importance of sharks in the Anthropocene – the era in which human impact on the planet is clearly noticeable. It concludes that adaptive strategies are necessary for the management of shark populations. Sharks are not just predators in the sea; they fulfil numerous important functions for marine […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en"],"yoast_head":"\n