These findings also have direct implications for management and conservation plans of lagoon environments. As an intermediate state, ICOLLs would play a key role in the management of regime shifts and, based on our results, the most suitable approach for management purposes would be to consider each ICOLL as a unique situation requiring a localized approach, slowing environmental change towards the tipping point (e.g., sediment infill). In the particular case of subtropical coastal lagoons, this imposes additional difficulties as they are mostly distributed among unplanned populated areas. As ICOLLs typically have small river catchments, it makes them sensitive to changing inflow conditions . Poor occupation practices within lagoon floodplains can result in pressure for intervention—dredging and bulldozing to artificially breach or close the lagoon inlet, potentially reducing resilience. Monitoring, establishment of local estuarine management plan and permanent policy review would ensure that the most ecologically appropriate and cost effective options are being implemented at any given location .