Salt marsh at the tip of Africa: Patterns, processes and changes in response to climate change

The extended concept of littoral active zone considering soft sediment shores as social-ecological systems, and an application to Brittany (North-Western France)

“…5) The provision of a range of ecosystem services, most relevant being: fish nursery, trophic enrichment for aquaculture, aesthetic value for real estate and attenuation of waves (Adams 2020). With respect to sandy beaches, salt marshes are typically less affected by direct human impacts such as tourism.…”

The Breede River estuary (Cape Province, South Africa): A historical perspective on hydrology, geomorphology, and sedimentology

“…Studies of South African estuaries predominantly dealt with biological and ecological aspects and their state of pollution and water quality (e.g., Day 1981;Allanson and Baird 1999;Taljaard et al 2001;Schumann 2003;Lamberth et al 2008;Taljaard et al 2009;Cullis et al 2018;and citations therein). In more recent years, the focus shifted to classification criteria for management purposes and priorities (e.g., Coetzee et al 1996;Turpie et al 2002;Taljaard 2003;Whitfield et al 2012;Adams 2020;van Niekerk et al 2020). Notably, in terms of conservation importance, the Breede River has been ranked as number 18 among the top 50 estuaries (Turpie et al 2002).…”

Rhizosediments of Salicornia tegetaria Indicate Metal Contamination in the Intertidal Estuary Zone

“…Wetlands play a crucial role in the biogeochemistry of trace elements in estuaries and provide a major sink for these elements (Caçador et al, 2009;Vodyanitskii and Shoba, 2015;Bonanno et al, 2018). The Swartkops Estuary is a very important socioeconomic and environmental asset and has high biodiversity importance for in terms of fish, birds and plants (Turpie et al, 2002;Adams, 2020). It has a large intertidal salt marsh area and Salicornia tegetaria is a dominant species, but it only earns a botanical importance rating of 41-45 out of 100, due to the modifications to the system brought on by the development (Colloty et al, 2000).…”

“…Several wetland plants can also act as bioindicators of metals (Phillips et al, 2015), and can be used in ecological engineering in environmental management strategies. Estuary habitats are some of the most productive in the world and provide several crucial ecosystem services, namely: (1) nursery areas for marine fish, (2) a path for migratory marine and bird species, (3) habitat for important and endangered wetland ecosystems (saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass beds), (4) transportation for nutrients and organic materials to coastal habitats, (5) carbon sequestration, and (6) the containment of endemic species dependent on the estuarine ecosystem (Roy et al, 2001;Turpie et al, 2002;Barbier et al, 2011;NBA, 2012;Adams, 2020).…”

“…Other than fishing, the estuary has important recreational and ecological importance, providing numerous essential ecosystem services originating from the diverse salt marsh and seagrass habitats. The estuary has high national botanical importance, because of the large intertidal salt marshes (Colloty et al, 2000;Adams, 2020). The ability of the salt marshes to capture and localize metals and other contaminants is important to maintain a healthy ecosystem.…”