The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Research, policy and practice for the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from 1800 to 2016

Research, policy and practice for the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from 1800 to 2016
Research, policy and practice for the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from 1800 to 2016
Improvements in both knowledge and actions are required to realize the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the UK, specifically in terms of decision-making. The research presented in this paper constructed a timeline of events pertaining to the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from the perspective of those involved, in order to establish what is actually happening, why, how, and by who. The evidence demonstrates an abundance of research and consultation for legislation and policy development purposes, with a relative lack of practice to actively conserve and sustainably use intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes. The majority of the events identified in this study indirectly influenced the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes, and were primarily concerned with some other purpose, such as coastal flooding and erosion risk management, and dock development. Research, legislation and policy, and practice are interconnected in a complex web, with changes in one domain being reflected in another. Yet despite the significant investment in research and consultation processes by many people over numerous years, no clear end point appears to have been reached in terms of realizing intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh conservation and sustainable use. Based on the findings of this study, it is imperative that further in-depth studies be undertaken in order to identify and evaluate changes to improve the decision-making process through which more informed, timely decisions and more effective, concerted actions to conserve and sustainably use intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes can be taken. The concepts and methods applied in this study are transferable to other complex decision-making situations in the UK and elsewhere
intertidal mudflat, saltmarsh, conservation, sustainable use, solent, uk, decision-making
59-71
Foster, Natalie M.
a4da82a8-cb26-420b-a0dc-5dd5ef21e0cf
Hudson, Malcolm D.
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55
Bray, Simon
57051d97-79bd-454f-a0e7-38fdf93894a4
Nicholls, Robert J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076
Foster, Natalie M.
a4da82a8-cb26-420b-a0dc-5dd5ef21e0cf
Hudson, Malcolm D.
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55
Bray, Simon
57051d97-79bd-454f-a0e7-38fdf93894a4
Nicholls, Robert J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076

Foster, Natalie M., Hudson, Malcolm D., Bray, Simon and Nicholls, Robert J. (2014) Research, policy and practice for the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from 1800 to 2016. Environmental Science & Policy, 38, 59-71. (doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.10.013).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Improvements in both knowledge and actions are required to realize the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the UK, specifically in terms of decision-making. The research presented in this paper constructed a timeline of events pertaining to the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes in the Solent from the perspective of those involved, in order to establish what is actually happening, why, how, and by who. The evidence demonstrates an abundance of research and consultation for legislation and policy development purposes, with a relative lack of practice to actively conserve and sustainably use intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes. The majority of the events identified in this study indirectly influenced the conservation and sustainable use of intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes, and were primarily concerned with some other purpose, such as coastal flooding and erosion risk management, and dock development. Research, legislation and policy, and practice are interconnected in a complex web, with changes in one domain being reflected in another. Yet despite the significant investment in research and consultation processes by many people over numerous years, no clear end point appears to have been reached in terms of realizing intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh conservation and sustainable use. Based on the findings of this study, it is imperative that further in-depth studies be undertaken in order to identify and evaluate changes to improve the decision-making process through which more informed, timely decisions and more effective, concerted actions to conserve and sustainably use intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes can be taken. The concepts and methods applied in this study are transferable to other complex decision-making situations in the UK and elsewhere

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 30 October 2013
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 November 2013
Published date: April 2014
Keywords: intertidal mudflat, saltmarsh, conservation, sustainable use, solent, uk, decision-making
Organisations: Civil Maritime & Env. Eng & Sci Unit

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 371836
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/371836
PURE UUID: 75c172be-a239-4841-94d4-0ef39e18022d
ORCID for Robert J. Nicholls: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9715-1109

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 17 Nov 2014 12:21
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:18

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Natalie M. Foster
Author: Simon Bray

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×