SPS Saltmashes Conference, 17th September 2008
Published on Sunday 22 June 2008
What future for the Solent’s Saltmarshes?
The Solent’s saltmarshes represent one of the area’s most important habitats, supporting a unique range of flora and fauna, and helping to protect the coastline from the effects of the sea. It is commonly known that saltmarshes have been disappearing at an alarming rate in the Solent, but the causes are shrouded in controversy. The loss of saltmarshes has been attributed variously to: dieback of Spartina (a major component of their vegetation); sea level rise and increased storminess; eutrophication; dredging; and other reasons. Because the Solent’s shorelines are so built up and lined with hard defences, there are very few places where saltmarshes can evolve inland naturally through coastal processes, as the sea advances. For similar reasons, the opportunities to form new saltmarshes through ‘managed retreat (the planned setback of defences) are very limited. The future of our saltmarshes is uncertain, to say the least. The debate about what is happening to the saltmarshes, and why, is resumed with renewed vigour whenever proposals for change come forward, whether it is port development at Dibden Bay or the introduction of larger ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth. The Solent Protection Society considers that the time is right to hold a one-day conference about the Solent’s saltmarshes and their future, and is taking the initiative in organising one. It will be held at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, on Wednesday 17th September 2008. The main elements of the programme are:
• The importance of saltmarshes for biodiversity and coastal defence;
• What has been happening to the Solent’s saltmarshes, and why;
• What is predicted to happen over the next 50 to 100 years, and what are the policy implications;
• A panel discussion, involving representatives of key authorities and agencies, about future policy and actions, and whether the current institutional arrangements will be fit for purpose.
A copy of the Programme can be viewed and if you would like to attend the conference please complete the Booking form and if appropriate the Bankers Standing Order and send it with your payment to the Secretary at the address on the form.