Dr Heidi Burgess recently attended the 2025 UK Saltmarsh Forum, a key annual event that brings together policymakers, government agencies, academics, NGOs, and businesses from across the UK to share knowledge and shape the future of saltmarsh conservation.
In his opening address, the Deputy First Minister of Wales highlighted the growing recognition of saltmarshes as vital ecosystems, stating:
“As our understanding of saltmarsh habitats grows, their role in positively impacting biodiversity, resilience and climate change is becoming clearer, and with this the importance of effectively managing and protecting them too.”
The forum offered a rich programme of sessions covering themes such as enhancing biodiversity, stakeholder engagement, nature-based solutions and seascape restoration. A field visit to Cwm Ivy Marsh, the first Managed Realignment site in Wales, rounded off the event.
A major announcement this year was the release of the State of the World’s Saltmarshes report, which marked the launch of the UN 2030 Saltmarsh Breakthrough initiative. This global effort aims to accelerate the restoration and protection of saltmarsh ecosystems, with a collaborative action plan to restore these carbon-storing, flood-mitigating habitats by 2030. Forum members will now be invited to support the Theory of Change (ToC) roadmap, an exciting step forward in raising awareness and driving action for saltmarsh conservation.
Dr Heidi Burgess presented her latest work on the Sussex Estuaries Project, part of the wider CHASM initiative. Estuaries, those dynamic zones where rivers meet the sea, are often overlooked or misunderstood, despite their vital role in supporting biodiversity, buffering climate impacts, and sustaining local communities. The Sussex Estuaries Project aims to change that, by raising awareness of the ecological and societal importance of estuaries, the project will help to build a stronger foundation for conservation and sustainable management. It also provides valuable data and tested methodologies that can support other initiatives across Sussex and potentially be scaled up across the UK and globally.
One of the key themes that emerged during the forum was the growing interest in how fish use Managed Realignment sites (coastal areas where land is intentionally flooded to create new intertidal habitats and for flood defence). This topic sparked considerable discussion and builds on Dr Heidi Burgess’s previously published research at Medmerry Nature Reserve. Her work has helped shed light on how these restored environments support fish populations and contribute to broader ecosystem health. The conversations at the forum revealed strong interest in expanding this research, with several potential collaborations identified to take it forward. It’s an exciting step toward deepening our understanding of how nature-based solutions can benefit both biodiversity and climate resilience.
The field visit to Cwm Ivy was particularly special for Heidi, who has conducted extensive research on the site’s hydro and sediment dynamics following the breach (click here). Invited by Natural Resources Wales to lead the visit, she reflected:
“It was good to go back and see how the site is developing. We were able to see how the rate of change in the geomorphology has slowed, the flora has become more abundant, except where sheep have trespassed, and to actually see fish coming into the site on the rising tide to graze.”
The 2025 UK Saltmarsh Forum was a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration, research, and action in protecting these unique and valuable habitats.
