Developing a saltmarsh monitoring methodology to meet multiple policy and management objectives in Scotland

To meet Scotland’s conservation and legislative requirements to monitor and set management objectives for saltmarsh habitat, a national survey was developed jointly funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. This national survey focussed on developing a fine scale vegetation map of all Scottish saltmarshes over 3 ha, which was digitised using GIS software. A condition monitoring protocol was also developed to assess the health of key ecological parameters of the saltmarsh system. A total of 7,704 ha of coastal habitat was surveyed as part of the project, which included 5,840 ha of saltmarsh vegetation and 1,864 ha of associated vegetation. The condition monitoring protocol results show that targets relating to the presence of built structures and transition integrity are not achieved more frequently than others. Targets for stock grazing intensity; the maintenance of saltmarsh extent; and poaching damage are also not achieved frequently. Further research is required to accurately reflect the condition of pioneer saltmarsh.