Because coasts are dynamic, or constantly changing, they are important ecosystems. They provide unique homes for marine plants, animals, and insects. ... Coasts help us understand natural events, such as weather and changing sea levels. During storms, coasts are the first places to be flooded.

Why are coasts important to the environment?

Coasts, especially the mouths of rivers, are where valuable resources such as high-quality soils accumulate, and where people practise agriculture and a range of other resource-based industries, as well as enjoying the amenity of these places.

What is special about the coast?

Coasts have many different features, such as caves and cliffs, beaches and mudflats. Tides, waves, and water currents (flow) shape the land to form these coastal features. Some coasts are also changed by the flow of glaciers, which are huge rivers of ice, and lava from volcanoes.