| At a time when there is a great deal of talk of the degradation of the coastal environment and of biodiversity being threatened, we felt it would be of interest to sample the macrofauna of five sites at five metres depth in well sorted fine sand at a thirty-year interval (1966-1996), using the same techniques. Four seasonal samplings provided comparative data at each site on the species richness (S), density (N) and biomass (B). The S values are comparable and even on the increase at two stations. Nevertheless, we observed a general tendency towards decline in the relative abundance of the crustacean group. From the quantitative point of view (N and B), the changes observed would appear to result from the impact of clearly identifiable human pressure, such... |
