70 percent of the world’s people live in the coastal zone. Coasts offer life, from lush inland forests and fertile soils to the bounty of the sea. Biologically they are the most fruitful ecosystems on Earth. And yet they are also some of the most fragile. Invasive species, pollution and the steady march of climate change threaten their survival.

The videos here provide glimpses of these ecosystems, both literally and figuratively on the edge. Explore them in any order. Discover the challenges life faces on the coasts—and what scientists and regular people can do to save them.

Alien Invader

Nutrient Odyssey

Endangered Orchid

Forests and Climate Change

Underwater Light and Seagrass

Earthworm Invaders

Low Oxygen

Forest Survival

Points of Invasion

Tracking Mercury

Stream Health

Blue Crab: Top Predator in Peril

Ultraviolet Waters

Wetlands of the Future