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partnership with colleagues across the Environment Agency as well as our external partners and stakeholders. I work on a catchment scale, looking at the pressures and challenges across the whole land area (the watershed) that drains water off the land, from source to sea. Te pressures, the geographies, and people’s priorities and interests are as diverse as the natural habitats and – while it is a cliché – no two days are ever the same. One of the habitats present in
South Devon that has faced acute pressure is saltmarsh. Nationally, we have lost over 85% of our saltmarshes in recent centuries. Te Dart estuary, like many in South Devon, is a ria (a narrow, flooded river valley) with pockets of saltmarsh nestled among a mosaic of mudflats, reedbeds, rocky shores and open water. Tis variety of habitats is
to be able to look back on this work in years to come and know that we helped make the future of these habitats more secure.
would love
others to establish a multi-partner team to survey their condition. Tis work is to understand the challenges more
acutely, raise awareness
beautiful and incredibly valuable for the diversity of niches it provides to wildlife. But it is also vulnerable. Tere are pressures from rising sea levels, grazing (by livestock and wildlife), erosion, development and land use changes, invasive species, pollution and the footfall of human visitors. To help improve the resilience of
the Dart saltmarshes in the face of these pressures, I have worked with
and appreciation for these places, and develop some prescriptions to help us decide how best to protect and enhance them. Together we are looking at how
we can work with landowners to encourage and fund land management decisions that work with and support saltmarshes. We are working with leisure users and authorities to encourage considerate behaviours from boats and other water users. We are helping people to understand and connect better
with saltmarsh communities without threatening their future. Much of the work I do and
influence is grant funded (both from the Environment Agency and other sources), which can mean the future of projects is relatively uncertain, even where there are clear benefits. As is oſten the case in conservation, you must have faith in your ability and that of your partners to match funding with delivery opportunities as they arise. Our list of partners and delivery
options keeps on growing as we all learn more about working with these habitats. I would love to be able to look back on this work in years to come and know that we helped make the future of these habitats more secure.
I
Note: The Dart Saltmarsh project has been funded by the Environment Agency through Championing Coastal Coordination and Water Environment Improvement Fund. It is hosted by the Bioregional Learning Centre, and delivery partners include: South Devon National Landscape Devon Wildlife Trust Devon Biological Records Centre Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority Five Rivers Consulting The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
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