Purpose of the Manual • Structure of the Manual
This Electronic Publication (EP) has been developed by Royal Haskoning (RH) with support from a number of expert contributors and represents the electronic interactive version of the "Saltmarsh Management Manual” also produced by RH.
The EP is intended to allow the user to navigate through different sections of the Manual, follow links to both internal and external guidance and documents relevant to the subject matter and download PDF versions of all sections of the guide.
Full details on how to use this EP are provided in the How to Use section.
This ‘2005’ version of the Saltmarsh Management Manual has been developed from and updates the Saltmarsh Management Guide produced in 1995 by the (then) National Rivers Authority (NRA). The project was funded by the Defra / Environment Agency Joint Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management R&D Programme (as project SCO30220 under the Engineering Theme). Under this programme, the objectives for the project were
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To synthesise advances in underlying science and good practice, and produce an updated Saltmarsh Management Manual, based on a thorough revision of the NRA/Environment Agency’s existing Saltmarsh Management Guide, and taking account of current knowledge and experience as well as recent research.
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To encourage the dissemination of the Manual and the uptake of its recommendations by making the Manual available online in electronic format.
The key tasks in achieving these objectives were defined by Defra and the Environment Agency as being:
| Task 1 | Review the structure and content of the original Saltmarsh Management Guide, as well as the additional chapters appended to the original Guide. |
| Task 2 | Review recent experience in saltmarsh management and advances in scientific understanding or management practice since the publication of the original Guide. |
| Task 3 | Establish a revised structure for the updated Saltmarsh Management Manual (including consideration of an alternative ‘interactive document’ format) and prepare a contents list. |
| Task 4 | Edit and update the original Manual content and incorporate new sections, as appropriate. |
| Task 5 | Prepare an updated Saltmarsh Management Manual. |
| Task 6 | Publish a final version in an electronic format. |
The original Manual was created from a series of papers reflecting the topics addressed through a co-ordinated and considered National (Saltmarsh) R&D programme. The original papers were then supplemented by further work and re-issued in 2001. Following a review of the original Manual by the Environment Agency, it was determined that it needed to be updated in some areas and, more importantly, drawn together as a more coherent and structured guidance document.
Another important issue identified by the review was the need to improve the ease of navigation through the information in the Manual, and hence access to it, through restructuring and electronic dissemination of the output.
