RISCC Management Challenge: Marine Mischief
In this new handout from the Regional Invasive Species and Cllmate Change (RISCC) Management Network, researchers detail how the convergence of invasive species and climate change are negatively impacting New England's salt marshes, summarize current management strategies to address this problem, and suggest new approaches to promote adaptation.
New England salt marshes are valuable assets, providing a variety of ecosystem services that include:
- Coastal protection from flooding
- Carbon sequestration and improved water quality
- Habitat for fish, shellfish, and wildlife
These salt marshes are increasingly experiencing dieback and degradation due to extreme climate events, northern range expansion by the native fiddler crab, and abundance increases of nonnative species like the green crab. As a result, the ability of marshes to continue benefiting humans, wildlife, and fish is severely compromised.
A variety of management efforts are already in place to combat marsh decline, including revegetation with native species, removal of burrowing crab species, improved identification of declining areas, and habitat restoration.
RISCC researchers offer several additional approaches to navigate this problem:
- Limiting human removal of natural predators
- Reducing release of invasives through regulation
- Multi-agency stakeholder collaboration
- Reducing carbon emissions on a large scale
