Description
The combination of foreshore ecosystems and conventional barriers (e.g. dikes) can provide a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative for flood protection. However, the use of natural ecosystems needs to be further studied to test their reliability on the long term and in face of climate change. We aimed to unravel uncertainties about foreshore soil stability to provide new insights in the management of foreshore ecosystems for coastal protection. We experimentally assessed how soil stability of seagrass, tidal flat and salt marsh sediments contributes to coastal protection and how management regimes may contribute to this. We found that eelgrass can reduce horizontal transport of sediment by the roots and rhizome network, although saltmarshes have a greater effect on soil stabilization both laterally and horizontally. Grain size, root density and soil structure were key parameters. Surprisingly, grazing by small herbivores indirectly reduced soil erodibility in the low marsh through a change in plant community and soil structure. Large herbivores reduced erodibility in the marshes through trampling, although they also reduced soil elevation. Overall we conclude that saltmarshes are valuable ecosystems to implement as ecosystem-based coastal protection.| Period | 11-Feb-2020 |
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| Event title | Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting 2020 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 13 |
| Organiser | Netherlands Ecological Research Network (NERN) |
| Location | Lunteren, NetherlandsShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |