Flood & coastal defence • Pollution control & water quality • Biodiversity & conservation importance • Palaeoecology & Archaeology • Designations & conservation management

Saltmarshes have a value to humans that is based upon processes resulting from the interaction of their basic components; soil, water, flora and fauna. At the system level, saltmarsh habitat (and associated intertidal mudflats) can be considered to have a “natural” function as well as functions of anthropogenic value. The so-called natural ecosystem function of the habitat is complicated by the fact that its functional, ecological roles cannot be considered in isolation from the dynamic outcomes of the interactions between a wide range of processes (i.e. without some reference to human activity or value).

However, in the context of the management of saltmarsh habitat and its intrinsic nature conservation value, the following ecological functions are considered to be of most significance:

• Flood and erosion control (through wave attenuation).
• Pollution control and water quality (nutrient cycling and sediment retention).
• Waste decomposition and disposal (micro-organism processes and scavenging).
• Habitat provision (spawning grounds for commercially exploited fish, habitats for plants, animals, insects, etc.).

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