TY - JOUR

T1 - Top ten priorities for global saltmarsh restoration, conservation and ecosystem service research

AU - Petillon, Julien

AU - McKinley, Emma

AU - Alexander, Meghan

AU - Adams, Janine B.

AU - Angelini, Christine

AU - Balke, Thorsten

AU - Griffin, John N.

AU - Bouma, Tjeerd

AU - Hacker, Sally

AU - He, Qiang

AU - Hensel, Marc J.S.

AU - Ibanez, Carles

AU - Macreadie, Peter L.

AU - Martino, Simone

AU - Sharps, Elwyn

AU - Ballinger, Rhoda

AU - de Battisti, Davide

AU - Beaumont, Nicola

AU - Burdon, Daryl

AU - Daleo, Pedro

AU - D'Alpaos, Andrea

AU - Duggan Edwards, Mollie

AU - Garbutt, Angus

AU - Jenkins, Stuart

AU - Ladd, Cai J.T.

AU - Lewis, Heather

AU - Mariotti, Giulio

AU - McDermott, Osgur

AU - Mills, Rachael

AU - Moller, Iris

AU - Nolte, Stefanie

AU - Pages, Jordi F.

AU - Silliman, Brian

AU - Zhang, Liquan

AU - Skov, Martin

PY - 2023/11/1

Y1 - 2023/11/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165544

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165544

M3 - Article

VL - 898

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

SN - 0048-9697

M1 - 165544

ER -