An accumulation of threats

None of the threats that face our oceans can be understood in isolation from each other. Threats do not have distinct boundaries and effects, and for many organisms, these sources of stress can overlap. Some threats may add directly onto each other, but most often, threats compound or multiply each other with far worse outcomes than if they were considered separately (see Ecosystem tipping points and stressors).

It can be very difficult to predict how a species or ecosystem will react when threats accumulate. This means that it is necessary to act with caution and minimise threats wherever we can to give species such as tuangi the best chance of survival.

Download the Department of Conservation infographic as a PDF.

Copyright: Department of Conservation