Shovi Anjum, Project Officer at the Solway Firth Partnership, has been working in University of Cumbria's laboratories processing her saltmarsh samples. Saltmarshes are dynamic intertidal ecosystems, existing between the marine and terrestrial environments. They are important for coastal defense, as important habitats in themselves and, research has shown, as carbon sinks. Their carbon storage capacity has led to the forthcoming UK Saltmarsh Code, introducing saltmarsh to the voluntary carbon markets.
The Solway Firth Partnership’s ongoing research includes seeking to quantify carbon stocks within the Solway Coast National Landscape’s saltmarshes, one of the largest saltmarsh complexes in Britain. Soil and vegetation samples were collected and are being processed within laboratories at the University of Cumbria's Ambleside Campus. Detailed carbon profiles across marsh zones and depths, provide informative and rigorous benchmarks for land management.
The project demonstrates a successful collaboration between Solway Firth Partnership, landowners, University of Cumbria and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The project has been enriched by incorporating landowners’ insights on past landscape changes that allow the connection of historical land use to carbon stocks.
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