New Delhi, April 28 -- The latest update on the state of New Zealand's environment paints a concerning outlook for marine environments, especially amid the increasing push to use the marine estate for economic gain.

But many shallow coastal ecosystems remain largely unexplored. As our latest fieldwork shows, many of these areas are hotspots for protected species, but are largely unprotected from human impacts.

video Ecosystems in the 'middle' light zone Subtidal rocky reefs have been the focus of scientific research for centuries. During the past eight decades, with the advent of SCUBA diving, they have been studied even more intensively.

However, rocky reefs extend much deeper than most SCUBA divers can typically reach, into what is k...