Saltmarsh

Clive Chatters

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Natural History
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781399404822
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472933607
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Marine Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

'Saltmarshes are often remote, inhospitable places, neither land nor sea, as hard to pin down as they are to navigate. In this saline odyssey, Clive Chatters has explored his favourite creeks, pools and mudflats to bring us an absorbing celebration of the ecology, biology, geology and history of this scarce and mysterious habitat. There are Tadpole Shrimps, and rare sedges, waders and Wild Celery – even inland saltmarshes – in this tour de force by a superb naturalist and writer.' - BRETT WESTWOOD, naturalist, author and radio presenter

Saltmarshes are among Britain's most diverse and dynamic landscapes. They abound around our shores but may also be found inland and at altitude – wherever water, salt and vegetation combine. The species they support range from extreme rarities of specialised habitats to the less demanding denizens of coastal wetlands. Here is a landscape of international importance for migratory birds, endemic plants and an exceptional variety of invertebrates.

Clive Chatters has a lifetime's affinity with saltmarshes. In this fifth volume of the British Wildlife Collection, he celebrates their natural history and diversity, from the highly distinctive marshes in the Scottish Highlands to the urban remnants of the Thames estuary now engulfed within the capital. By examining the past of these complex habitats, we can gain an insight into how they have developed, and an understanding of their relationship with people. In addition to their exceptionally diverse natural history, saltmarshes are sources of food and medicine, they play a pivotal role in flood defence and carbon sequestration, and have inspired artistic endeavour.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Far from the shore
• 3 On the wind
• 4 In the Highlands
• 5 Atlantic gateway
• 6 The merse of the Solway Firth
• 7 Bae Ceredigion
• 8 Genesis of the Humber
• 9 Seawalls and the Severn
• 10 Capital marsh country
• 11 The legacy of the Solent’s saltworks
• 12 Southampton’s Spartinas
• 13 Conservation before conservationists
• 14 The advent of nature conservation
• 15 Modest proposals
• 16 The rise of regulation
• 17 International perspectives
• 18 Invasive and non-native species
• 19 Conservation in practice
• 20 Rejuvenation
• 21 Time and tide
• Appendix A: A provisional inventory of inland saltmarshes in Britain
• Appendix B: Special Areas of Conservation in Britain supporting saltmarsh habitats
• References and further reading
• Species names
• Illustration credits
• eCopyright