SALTGARDEN

Salt marshes are transitional areas between land and sea. They serve as valuable buffer zones, reducing coastal erosion and flooding, providing habitats for a wide range of endemic species, and acting as carbon sinks. However, this ecosystem faces multifaceted and complex challenges due to the ecological triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. Additionally, salt marshes are currently subject to anthropogenic influences, such as grazing, coastal protection measures, and artificial drainage of the foreland (e.g., for land reclamation).

The SALTGARDEN project investigates whether salt marshes can survive under future climatic conditions and whether they can continue to fulfill their coastal protection functions under new conditions, including rising sea levels and higher CO2 concentrations. Researchers from Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark are examining the extent to which preserving and promoting biodiversity in salt marshes can be an essential part of a solution strategy for the ecological triple crisis.

Using a transdisciplinary approach, the project aims to collaborate closely with stakeholders from administrations, nature conservation, and environmental protection organizations in the three North Sea neighboring countries. Together, they seek to develop strategies for sustainable salt marsh management based on the principles of Nature-based Gardening (NbG). The goal is to better understand the value of biodiverse and dynamic coastal ecosystems, quantify their sensitivities, and establish forward-looking foreland management strategies at the socio-political level.

SALTGARDEN is one of five funded research projects under the theme “International Wadden Sea Research: Understanding Complex Pressures on the Wadden Sea and Developing Action Options.”