Data from: A wide megafauna gap undermines China's expanding coastal ecosystem conservation

<p class="Paragraph"><span>To fulfill sustainable development goals, many countries are expanding efforts to conserve ecologically and societally critical coastal ecosystems. Although megafauna profoundly impact the functioning of ecosystems, they are neglected as a key component in the conservation scheme for coastal ecosystems in many geographic contexts. Here, </span><span>we reveal a rich diversity of extant megafauna associated with all major types of coastal ecosystems in China</span><span>, including 218 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, cephalopods and fishes across terrestrial and marine environments. However, 44% of these species are globally threatened and 78% have not yet been assessed in China for extinction risk. More worrisome, 73% of these megafauna have not been designated as nationally protected species, and &lt;10% of their most important habitats are protected. Filling this wide "megafauna gap" in China, and globally, would be a leading step as humanity strives to thrive with coastal ecosystems.</span></p>