Top ten priorities for global saltmarsh restoration, conservation and ecosystem service research

Julien Pétillon; Emma McKinley; Meghan Alexander; Janine B Adams; Christine Angelini; Thorsten Balke; John N Griffin; Tjeerd Bouma; Sally Hacker; Qiang He; Marc J S Hensel; Carles Ibáñez; Peter I Macreadie; Simone Martino; Elwyn Sharps; Rhoda Ballinger; Davide de Battisti; Nicola Beaumont; Daryl Burdon; Pedro Daleo; Andrea D'Alpaos; Mollie Duggan-Edwards; Angus Garbutt; Stuart Jenkins; Cai J T Ladd; Heather Lewis; Giulio Mariotti; Osgur McDermott; Rachael Mills; Iris Möller; Stefanie Nolte; Jordi F Pagès; Brian Silliman; Liquan Zhang; Martin W Skov

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165544

Top ten priorities for global saltmarsh restoration, conservation and ecosystem service research

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 10:898:165544. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165544. Epub 2023 Jul 13.

Authors

Julien Pétillon¹, Emma McKinley², Meghan Alexander³, Janine B Adams⁴, Christine Angelini⁵, Thorsten Balke⁶, John N Griffin⁷, Tjeerd Bouma⁸, Sally Hacker⁹, Qiang He¹⁰, Marc J S Hensel¹¹, Carles Ibáñez¹², Peter I Macreadie¹³, Simone Martino¹⁴, Elwyn Sharps¹⁵, Rhoda Ballinger², Davide de Battisti¹⁶, Nicola Beaumont¹⁷, Daryl Burdon¹⁸, Pedro Daleo¹⁹, Andrea D'Alpaos²⁰, Mollie Duggan-Edwards²¹, Angus Garbutt²², Stuart Jenkins²¹, Cai J T Ladd⁶, Heather Lewis²³, Giulio Mariotti²⁴, Osgur McDermott²⁵, Rachael Mills²⁶, Iris Möller²⁷, Stefanie Nolte²⁸, Jordi F Pagès³, Brian Silliman⁹, Liquan Zhang²⁹, Martin W Skov²¹

Affiliations

¹ UMR CNRS ECOBIO, University of Rennes, 35042 Rennes, France; Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela University, Summerstrand Campus, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa. Electronic address: [email protected].
² School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
³ School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
⁴ Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela University, Summerstrand Campus, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa.
⁵ Environmental School for Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment, University of Florida, Weil Hall 365, 1949 Stadium Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁶ School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
⁷ Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
⁸ Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Yerseke, the Netherlands; Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Building with Nature group, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
⁹ Department of Integrative Biology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
¹⁰ Duke University Marine Lab, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.
¹¹ Department of Environmental Biology, University of Massachusetts, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA.
¹² Climate Change Department, Area of Sustainability, Eurecat - Technological Centre of Catalonia, 43870 Amposta, Catalonia, Spain.
¹³ Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia.
¹⁴ The James Hutton Institute, AB15 8QH Aberdeen, UK.
¹⁵ School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK; Natural Resources Wales, TY Cambria, Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
¹⁶ Chioggia Hydrobiological Station "Umberto D'Ancona", Department of Biology, University of Padova, Palazzo Grassi, Calle Grassi Naccari 1060, 30015 Chioggia, Ve, Italy.
¹⁷ Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth PL1 3DH, UK.
¹⁸ Daryl Burdon Ltd., Marine Research, Teaching and Consultancy, Willerby HU10 6LL, UK.
¹⁹ Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), UNMDP - CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central, B7600WAG Mar del Plata, Argentina.
²⁰ Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, via G. Gradenigo 6, 35131 Padova, Italy.
²¹ School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, UK.
²² Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Rd, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
²³ Natural Resources Wales, TY Cambria, Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
²⁴ Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, 1002-Q Energy, Coast and Environment Building, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
²⁵ World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), UN-Environment, 219 Huntingdon Rd, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK.
²⁶ Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PX, UK.
²⁷ Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK.
²⁸ School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR47TJ, UK; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK.
²⁹ State Key Lab. of Estuarine and Coastal Research (SKLEC), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

PMID: 37453706
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165544

Abstract

Coastal saltmarshes provide globally important ecosystem services including 'blue carbon' sequestration, flood protection, pollutant remediation, habitat provision and cultural value. Large portions of marshes have been lost or fragmented as a result of land reclamation, embankment construction, and pollution. Sea level rise threatens marsh survival by blocking landward migration where coastlines have been developed. Research-informed saltmarsh conservation and restoration efforts are helping to prevent further loss, yet significant knowledge gaps remain. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper identifies ten research priorities through an online questionnaire and a residential workshop attended by an international, multi-disciplinary network of 35 saltmarsh experts spanning natural, physical and social sciences across research, policy, and practitioner sectors. Priorities have been grouped under four thematic areas of research: Saltmarsh Area Extent, Change and Restoration Potential (including past, present, global variation), Spatio-social contexts of Ecosystem Service delivery (e.g. influences of environmental context, climate change, and stakeholder groups on service provisioning), Patterns and Processes in saltmarsh functioning (global drivers of saltmarsh ecosystem structure/function) and Management and Policy Needs (how management varies contextually; challenges/opportunities for management). Although not intended to be exhaustive, the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for addressing each research priority examined here, providing a blueprint of the work that needs to be done to protect saltmarshes for future generations.

Keywords: Ecosystem services; Global variation; Research priorities; Saltmarsh conservation and restoration; Socio-ecological interactions.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Climate Change
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Ecosystem*
Sea Level Rise
Wetlands