Importance of salt marsh and intertidal flat restoration
The movement to restore salt marshes and tidal flats has been driven by increasing recognition of their value (Casagrande, 1997; Barbier et al. , 2011). Their protection and restoration benefits biodiversity by conserving and reinstating habitats, while maintaining vital functions required by people. Around 27% of the human population live near the coast (Kummu et al. , 2016) and depend on a range of services provided by coastal ecosystems. Most recorded coastal restoration projects occur in the USA, Europe and Australia, but this may be a reflection of data availability – more data about the successes and failures of restoration projects are urgently needed (Bayraktarov et al. , 2016). Restoring these habitats can be a cost-effective, nature-based solution to biodiversity loss and climate change.
Important functions and services of these habitats include:
Coastal defence: Salt marshes and tidal flats defend the coastline by slowing the incoming tide and dissipating wave energy, thereby reducing coastal erosion and protecting vulnerable human settlements from flooding (Arkema et al. , 2013; Pontee et al. , 2016; Reed et al. , 2018). They can form part of “green - grey” infrastructure, which mixes natural restoration with structures of the built environment such as seawalls and dikes (Green-Gray Community of Practice, 2020). Carbon storage: Salt marshes and tidal flats are a major contributor to the amount of carbon sequestered in the marine environment, particularly due to their ability to store carbon in their soils and sediments (Duarte et al. , 2005; Chen and Lee, 2022; Maxwell et al. , 2023). As such, they have been identified as important blue carbon ecosystems (Macreadie et al. , 2021).
Many species are almost entirely dependent on coastal habitats during the migration season such as these Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus , Sundarbans, Bangladesh. [Credit: Sayam Chowdhury].
Biodiversity: Being at the interface between the terrestrial and marine worlds, salt marshes and tidal flats support a unique variety of wildlife, which function together as a large ecological complex (Daiber, 1986; Boorman, 2003). Salt-tolerant plants and benthic microalgae that live in the sediments are primary producers (Cloern et al. , 2014), which means they are at the base of the food chain. They support organisms at higher trophic levels, such as fish and mud- dwelling invertebrates, which subsequently provide food for foraging shorebirds and humans. Salt marshes and tidal flats are critical stepping stones in the flyways of migratory shorebirds, connecting breeding grounds at high latitudes with non-breeding grounds at lower latitudes.
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