- Roadmap to Resouces - Tutorial PDF - Subject Review - Podcast
- Estuaries - What is an Estuary? - Economy and Environment -
Ecosystem Services - Water Circulation - Estuarine Habitats -
Adaptations to Life in the Estuary - Monitoring Estuaries - The
Future Why Are Estuaries Important? Disturbances to Estuaries
Why Are Estuaries Important? The Economy and Environment Healthy
estuaries are critical for the continued survival of many
species of fish and other aquatic life, birds, mammals, and
reptiles. All of the animals pictured above live in the Rookery
Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Located on the gulf
coast of Florida, Rookery Bay represents one of the few
remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.
(Images: Rookery Bay NERRS site) Estuaries are important natural
places. They provide goods and services that are economically
and ecologically indispensable. Often called nurseries of the
sea (USEPA, 1993), estuaries provide vital nesting and feeding
habitats for many aquatic plants an