Sabkha Ecosystems

The functioning of important ecosystems, including high productivity seagrass beds, coral reefs, macro-algal reefs, mangroves, salt-marshes, needs to be balanced, and, in many cases, adverse trends need to be reversed, repaired, and offset. One of many solutions that is needed to achieve the below SDGs is the utilization of saline water and soil for the research, conservation and development of halophyte ecosystems. 

The scientific documentation—initiated and supported by UNESCO— provides information, data, conclusions, recommendations, answers and inspiration to two main questions: 

- How to use of the vast volume of saline waters, areas of saline soils, and the halophytes, without competing against agricultural lands, in support of food-security, clean-energy, jobs and economic growth?

- What halophyte-biodiversity aspects need to be considered for ecosystem development, nature restoration and climate action? 

It is time to apply someof the innovations demonstrated in the previous volumes in the Tasks for Vegetation Science book series, to turn from experiments to long-term pilot studies. This is necessary in order to obtain solid scientific data for large-scale applications. Studying halophyte and sabkha ecosystems will contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Zero Hunger, Clean Water, Clean Energy, Climate Action, Economic Growth, Sustainable Communities and Biodiversity on land and below water. 

This book is the sixth and final volume in the Tasks for Vegetation Science book series, and it concludes the most comprehensive scientific documentation dealing with hypersaline ecosystems of the world.