SOMERSET, England — Steart Marshes, in southwest England, may not be the most picturesque nature reserve in the British Isles, but it is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating. Just over a decade ago, this landscape was farmland, but its precarious position, wedged between the River Parrett and the Bristol Channel, made it highly vulnerable to flooding.
Historically, human-made flood defenses had helped convert the natural marshland into viable pasture. But as these barriers weakened and sea levels rose, both farmland and nearby homes faced increasing risk. In response, local residents, government agencies and conservation organizations sought a long-term solution. Their answer? Rather than fight the encroaching waters, they chose to embrace them.
By deliberately breaching the flood defenses, the land was allowed to return to its original form: a vast salt marsh. Salt marsh is a coastal habitat found in the intertidal zone, where land meets the sea. The U.K. has lost around 85% of its salt marshes since the mid-19th century due to coastal development. Yet these ecosystems are vital: They provide a home for diverse wetland wildlife, including wading birds and fish nurseries, act as natural flood barriers by absorbing storm surges, prevent coastal erosion by stabilizing sediments and store large amounts of carbon, helping to combat climate change.
Salt marsh is still being lost across the U.K., but Steart Marshes is a thriving example of how salt marsh restoration can benefit both people and nature. Managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the site could serve as a model for similar projects across the world, demonstrating how working with nature, rather than against it, can build climate resilience while reviving lost ecosystems.
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Banner image: Salt marsh. Image ©Leo Plunkett.
Transcript
Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.We British love a bleak landscape,
and it doesn’t get much bleaker than salt marsh in winter.
But as we’ve claimed and drained wetlands across the country,
salt marsh has become a rare habitat.
I think people forget that this is what it would have looked like
hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
There is now a push to bring back this once common habitat along our shores,
and the benefits could have an incredible impact,
not just for nature, but for people too.
Salt marsh is a coastal wetland
that gets inundated with saline water,
some of it regularly and some of it less regularly.
So what that means is it’s actually a really specific
and really specialized habitat.
This specialized habitat is home to an array of species
that can tolerate the saltwater that comes in with the tide.
But they’re also vitally important for
many of the U.K.’s birds, insects, and fish.
At Steart Marsh in the southwest of England,
the landscape is being managed to restore these wetlands
and their natural processes.
The marshes absorb floodwaters,
protecting inland areas from storm surges.
They also capture and store carbon,
playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change.
Scientists and conservationists are working together
to better understand these landscapes and their long-term benefits.
By allowing nature to take its course,
we are not just restoring habitats,
but creating resilient ecosystems for the future.
Credits
