UK’s muddy saltmarshes vital carbon ‘sink’, say researchers

LONDON: Muddy saltmarshes are major stores of greenhouse gases and should be protected to help Britain in the battle against climate change, a new report said on Friday.

“Mud matters,” said Tom Brook, ocean conservation specialist at WWF which produced the report. “Saltmarshes are powerful natural allies in the fight against climate change -- storing carbon, protecting our coasts and supporting rich biodiversity,” he added.

Saltmarshes occur where the land meets the sea, and help absorb wave energy and the impact of storms, acting as natural flood barriers. They also “are highly efficient at capturing and storing carbon, playing a vital role in mitigating climate change,” the report said.

Britain has lost some 85 percent of its saltmarshes since 1860, much of it being drained to convert into farmland, or degraded by pollution and rising sea levels. The remaining 45,000 hectares play a key role in protecting coastal areas.

They also provide habitats for migratory birds in estuaries such as around the Thames in the southern UK, as well as the Severn which flows through England and Wales, the northeastern Humber and the western Solway Firth.