Exploring saltmarshes along the Dart Estuary, sharing river knowledge, finding paths to understanding and action for communities of interest.

 

How can we help to protect this vital ecosystem and carbon store?

You might be surprised to hear that outside the Tropics saltmarshes bury carbon at a greater rate and store more carbon per unit area below ground than their forest counterparts on land.

They absorb tidal and wave energy and help prevent flooding. They regulate water quality by absorbing excess phosphates and nitrates in river water as well as salt from the incoming tides. They are important places for wading birds to breed, spend the winter and stop off during migration.

Muddy, grey and brown, the Dart’s pockets of saltmarsh often go unnoticed. Best seen from a kayak, these fragile ecosystems found along the more sheltered sides of the estuary are not easy to visit, or care for.

 

Have a look at the on-site restoration work that is taking place!

Phase 3 of The Saltmarsh Project is now underway–surveying, restoration works, monitoring, volunteering, site visits–and progress updates for local people who are now following with interest the potential and benefits inherent in making it possible for the Dart’s saltmarshes to further establish.

Long Marsh – Totnes East Bank

Long marsh is a small strip of semi-improved grassland and saltmarsh with limited hydrological connectivity to the estuary. The hard defences and raised banks of the 1830s subsequently disconnected the wetland from river, resulting in a transition to a more terrestrial habitat.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 1: Long Marsh. View of the habitat from the beginning of the existing walkway, next to the tidal gate. Soil
erosion is very clear in this picture, the high sediment load in the murky creek is also visible.

Home Reach – Totnes East Bank

Home reach marsh is a narrow band of brackish marsh partially maintained by grazing geese. The inland section is bounded by a line of trees, including some deadwood. The marsh is dominated by Agrostis stolonifera community and on brief inspection appeared to have a variety of other transitional saltmarsh plants.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 2: Home reach, upper section. Edge erosion is visible, though this has also been colonised by plants in
places indicating it may not be severe. Canada geese graze the marsh. Deadwood on the foreshore provides an additional habitat.

40ft off red marker post – East Bank north of Sharpham North Quay.

Opposite the buoy is a larger but heavily degraded stretch of marsh on the left bank. The intact sections of marsh holds a diverse short sward community, presumably grazed by geese. There are many standing pools containing a dense array of small invertebrate burrows. Large sections of the marsh have collapsed due to undercutting of edges and recent block collapse in places, but Bolboschoenus stands persist on some of the islands and lower sections which smooth out into mudflat areas.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 3: 40 ft off, left bank when facing downstream. View across the largest intact section of marsh, there are
frequent standing pools and small channels throughout the marsh A phragmites stand is visible on another section of the marsh.

Fleet Mill Creek – East Bank behind Paddle Steamer Dam.

Fleet Milly quarry is a an historic tidal creek of the estuary, blocked off with a seawall to become a freshwater lagoon but recently breached and presently reverting to its original tidal conditions,  bounded by a wall and a breached sluice.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 4: Fleet Mill Quarry. Taken from the wall. Pictured here are the paddlesteamer occuppied by marsh
vegetation, a stand of trees at the edge of the wall and a fairly bare mudflat in the tidal pool. Towards the back of the pool is a Phragmites bed.

The Gut - North of Sharpham – West bank opposite Paddle Steamer Wreck

This large area of now predominantly intertidal mudflat has an uncertain history due to contradictory or vague records. It is possible that a marsh existed c1900 over this extent, due to the blocking of an open channel originally here in the 1800s. Aerial photography shows more remaining patches and muddy outlines of the aforementioned lost marsh. The remaining marsh is in a few small fragments.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 5: The Gut. Lower section from Sharpham point wall to the edge of the historic marsh section of The Gut.

Sharpham Point - West Bank

This area of saltmarsh is likely an ancient marsh, which was mapped in 1843 as saltmarsh. A stone revetment (c19th century) borders the edge of the marsh, which is met by the broad, shallow mudflat. The upper edge of the marsh is lined by a steeper incline and a line of trees. The vegetation is mainly dominated by short sward Festuca marsh, which is grazed by Canada Geese. Closer to the woodland edge is a strip of Elymus repens marsh.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 6: Sharpham point marsh. Visible here are some of the pools and patches of Bolboschoenus marsh

Stoke Gabriel Mill Pond Shore - West shore of Stoke Gabriel Mill Pond

At the upstream reaches of Stoke Gabriel, there is a small narrow strip of saltmarsh bordering the millpool. A footpath follows through this area of predominantly short sward marsh and across a small stream. There are patches of Bolbochoenus marsh and the foreshore is colonised by a small stand of Spartina. Along the edges of the stream are species associated with fresher conditions such as Wild Celery.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 7: Millpool, townward section of marsh has experience compaction and erosion from footfall. This may be improved by path maintenance.

South Downs Wood - East shore of Stoke Gabriel Creek

Below the millpool weir is a small section of saltmarsh at the bottom of the South Downs Wood. This includes a shallow muddy to gravel bank and a large, steep bank of red gravel within which the marsh is nestled. A dense stand of Atriplex portulacoides sits at the edge of the gravel, and a small channel cuts through the mud of the saltmarsh, leading towards a longer strip of Spartina, and short sward Puccinellia marsh.

There is little evidence of damage from boat landing, though further erosion of the marsh from landing and footfall could be limited by improving path access leading to the gravel bank instead.

READ MORE HERE to learn about the site and see work completed & planned.

Figure 8: South downs wood. The gravel bank is an unusual feature which currently supports a dense stand of Atriplex portulacoides. This is likely a popular place to sit or haul boats ashore.

A learning journey at the crossroads of art and ecology

Let the voices of ecology experts and local artists guide you on an exploration of these precious and fragile ecosystems; saltmarsh-inspired artistic expression + environmental stewardship that offer insights into our restoration approach. Watch the five pieces created by The Saltmarsh Project Artist Collective… very personal explorations of these special places.

LAND + PLACE

LAND: How are the saltmarshes on the Dart relevant to the business of owning and farming land?

PLACE: How does local artist Ivan Grieve draw inspiration from a marshy place to inspire his work?

A MARSHY PLACE

Artist Ivan Grieve (2024)
2-minute collection of 2D mixed media works

ECOLOGY + MUSIC

ECOLOGY: What does an ecological scientist look for when evaluating the condition of the Dart’s saltmarshes?

MUSIC: How does local artist DJ and photographer Christian de Sousa draw inspiration from such an unusual place to inspire his work?

WHERE THE RIVERS MEET THE SEA

Artist Christian de Sousa (2024)
5-minute sound art piece–an extract from a 30-minute DJ mix

NEAR + FAR

NEAR: How is it possible to see the saltmarshes from the air in order to show how much saltmarsh there used to be, and how much there could be?

FAR: How does local generative artist Emilio Mula use creative technology to reveal what’s hidden in the saltmarshes?

SYNESTHESIA

Artist Emilio Mula (2024)
4-minute visual generative art film/audio

LINES + DATA

LINES: How do regular visits to the saltmarsh help local arts practitioner Beth Heaney to build a picture of the life of the saltmarshes?

DATA: How does a coastal specialist use all the information gathered so far–what is the deliverable for this phase of the project?

TIDEMARK

Artist Beth Heaney (2024)
5-minute visual art film with voiceover

SYSTEMS + FLOW

SYSTEMS: How can appreciating the Dart’s unique ecosystem help us learn about climate resilience?

FLOW: How does local dance artist and producer Clare Parker draw inspiration from such a vulnerable and yet resilient place to inspire her work?

FLUX

Artists Clare Parker & Jade Willows (2024)
5-minute dance film with audio

Past event

Living Dart: The Saltmarsh Project

Everything you always wanted to know about the Dart saltmarshes. But never had an expert to ask… til now!

With Nigel Mortimer, Dr Sarah Collins and Mike Langman

Our three saltmarsh experts shared their passion as well as their knowledge at this sold-out event where Dart lovers had the opportunity to learn about birds, plants and mud life. We invited ideas on how communities could get involved and heard from Julian Carnell of The Shapham Trust about their hay meadow and saltmarsh restoration project. Hal Gillmore of Canoe Adventures suggested training for their guides and Sarah Collins shared the useful research work undertaken by her students at Plymouth University.

Credit: Ivan Grieve
Credit: “Syrinx”, the reed bed at Sharpham marsh by Ivan Grieve

Past event

Saltmarsh: The Dart Estuary’s Carbon Solution 

See how The Saltmarsh Project fits in to a mosaic of water and climate challenges in South Devon. 
@ Sustainable South Hams’ Rivers Assembly

The team joined dozens of other project leaders and over 160 river lovers in a day of information exchange where people in the South Hams were learning river knowledge from each other. The event demonstrated the power of grassroots organizing, a catchment-based approach and showed how established non-profits, institutions and academia are reaching out into the community space. Saltmarsh was highlighted as an amazing and underappreciated carbon store, and BLC’s River Dart Charter recognized as a significant tool for change.

Read the story of the Dart Charter.

Past event

Dart Saltmarshes: What can we do to protect them?

Bring your lunch. Let’s talk about it.

Estuaries officer Nigel Mortimer joined us live from the Kingsbridge/Salcombe mudflats to show us saltmarsh plant life up close. We then unpacked the approach we have taken–an open invitation to shape the project in its early stages through a co-design process, and welcomed input from those joining us online. For most environmental causes there are few clearly laid out paths to action for residents and citizens to take. Participants in this project have generated numerous ideas. The next phase will see a shortlist laid out as pathways that align with restoration recommendations.

Credit: Layers in the Landscape by Shannon Welles

We can learn from this marginal place, where life is resilient and adaptable.

Read on…

 All along the river there is concern about pollution, with citizens organising to take care of the water and the wildlife that depends on it. Amongst Devon rivers the Dart is also at high risk from the impact that the stress of climate change will have on freshwater supply and the river ecosystem as a whole. Every part of a river, like every part of our body, has a role to play in keeping us healthy. And as with the human body, what we put into it finds its way downstream, washes up on shore and then out to the sea.

The loss and damage to saltmarshes over centuries means that they are not able to function at any meaningful level or scale. Development and land claim, littering, overgrazing, boat wake & storage, trampling and camping all take their toll and now they have sea level rise to contend with too. Where space allows, saltmarshes will migrate up the shore with sea level rise but the nature and development of our ria type estuaries, with their steep sides, all too often halts this migration.

Two phases of work for Living Dart: The Saltmarsh Project have now been completed, funded by the Environment Agency, and the team is now looking ahead to phase 3; restoration delivery and expansion of the collaborative project delivery structure that we have co-created. Key features are that the project planning is local, that it has involved local communities and landowners from the get-go, and ultimately that our saltmarsh ecosystems will be restored to health. As a first phase in reviving and restoring saltmarshes on the Dart the partner project is helping to play our part in the 30×30 goal that came out of the UN Biodiversity CoP15 last December–30% of our planet protected for nature by 2030.

Thank you to the 84 Dart lovers who took our poll!

In order to demonstrate support in some way for the Dart Estuary’s saltmarshes, we asked
Which activities could you currently see yourself doing?

The top five responses were:
1. Mention saltmarsh next time I meet a friend for coffee (80%)
2. Encounter interpretive signs as I walk or hike (78.5%)
3. Sign and share the Dart Charter (73.8%)
4. Listen to subject-specific podcasts (72.5%)
5. Take part in a one-off, guided saltmarsh meeting (71.2%)
The two runners up were ‘Go on a guided boat or 12-seater canoe tour, ticketed (70.9%)’
and ‘Sign a petition, e.g. message to UN Water Conference (68%)’.

This feedback will inform the kinds of activities that The Saltmarsh Project could support, organize or produce.

Download the report to see all the choices and results.

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We work in and at the intersection of economy, ecology, learning, arts and culture and the gaps in between.