Endangered species: Saltmarshes — and what to do about it
Brown professor and saltmarsh expect will talk about modern challenges to saltmarshes around the globe
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust kicks off its 2023 Land Trust Learning Series on Monday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. with a presentation on saltmarsh degradation by Mark Bertness at the Barrington …
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Endangered species: Saltmarshes — and what to do about it
Brown professor and saltmarsh expect will talk about modern challenges to saltmarshes around the globe
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust kicks off its 2023 Land Trust Learning Series on Monday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. with a presentation on saltmarsh degradation by Mark Bertness at the Barrington Public Library. Dr. Bertness is the Robert P. Brown Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Emeritus at Brown University.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Reserve a seat at: www.blct.org/events. The event will be held in the library’s Salem Family Auditorium. If you prefer to attend virtually, email cindyelder@blct.org to get on the livestream list.
Dr. Bertness will bring the challenge of saltmarsh degradation into focus. Coastal saltmarshes are one of the most valuable ecosystems on the Earth in terms of the services they provide humanity. Historically, however, marshes have been extensively ditched, drained and developed, motivating the conservation and restoration of remaining marshes.
Conservation of the surviving local marshes is not an easy task, since the most severe current threats are not local, but global. Eutrophication, invasive species, sea level rise and overfishing lead to trophic collapse. These large-scale problems impact coastal wetlands across the globe.
Dr. Bertness will examine how these factors, individually and collectively, are leading to rapid degradation of Narragansett Bay marshes and the entire East Coast of North America.
Mark Bertness grew up beach combing on the shores of the Salish Sea in Washington State, where he developed a passion for shoreline ecology. His research has taken him to Panama, the Netherlands, Sardinia, Argentina, Chile, China — and Barrington, Rhode Island. He has authored several books on marine ecology, one of which he wrote while sitting in the Barrington Public Library.
Founded in 1979, the Barrington Land Conservation Trust is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that has preserved nearly 300 acres of open space in perpetuity for the benefit of the public. For more information on the Land Trust and its properties, visit www.blct.org.
