Humans have converted at least 250,000 acres of estuaries to cities and farms in last 35 years, study finds

Worldwide over the past 35 years, dams and land reclamation activities have converted 250,000 acres of estuary—an area roughly 17 times the size of Manhattan—to urban land or agricultural fields, with most land conversion and estuary loss in rapidly developing countries, a new study finds. The findings could help developing countries avoid problems faced by countries that have already lost or degraded their estuaries.