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Rapid losses of intertidal salt marshes due to global change in the Gironde estuary (France) and conservation implications for marshland passerines

Journal of Coastal Conservation volume 22, pages 443–451 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

We analysed coastline movements between 2000 and 2016 along the 24.5 km of the mesohaline region of the North bank of the Gironde estuary (France). This sector is identified as hosting the largest expanse of salt marshes of the estuary and as an important breeding and stopover site for different marshland passerines of conservation concern. Our results from the study area reveal an average shore retreat of 14.74 ± 0.50 m over the period, corresponding to a loss of 49.96 ha of intertidal wetlands (i.e. 2.04 ha per kilometer of coastline) and reaching on average of more than 30 m for 42% of the coastline. This erosion dynamic, explained by a significant perturbation of the estuary’s hydro-sedimentary dynamic (due to decreases in freshwater discharges and relative sea level rise) highlights the rapid disruption that can occur in estuarine eco-complexes in response to global change. Given the impacts that estuarine intertidal wetland losses have on carrying capacity for marshland passerines, experimental management approaches are being tested in the study area to compensate for losses already observed and to anticipate those expected. These approaches reveal in particular that partial reconnection of agricultural polders to tide influences with a regulation system for water ingress may allow interesting trade-off between maintaining polders with agricultural activities such as grazing and conservation plans for vegetation of intertidal salt marshes exploitable by marshland passerines.

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Acknowledgements

This study was achieved thanks to financial support from the Charente-Maritime Departmental Council, the Adour-Garonne Water Agency, the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development (DREAL Poitou-Charentes and Nouvelle Aquitaine) and the French Agency for Civic Service. We particularly thank Isabelle Delacourte (LittoMatique) for her help during this work. We are grateful to the French Coastal and Lake Shore Conservation Authority and the Poitou-Charentes’ Conservatory of Natural Areas for their help during schemes we initiated to document the ecological interests of management solutions developed to reconnect inshore coastal areas to tide influences. Finally, we thank the people who assisted us during the different field works presented in this study, Greg McIvor for proofreading this paper and the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments that helped us to improve our work.

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  1. BioSphère Environnement, 52 quai de l’Estuaire, 17120, Mortagne-sur-Gironde, France

    Raphaël Musseau, Léa Boutault & Sonia Beslic

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  1. Raphaël Musseau
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  2. Léa Boutault
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  3. Sonia Beslic
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Correspondence to Raphaël Musseau.

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Musseau, R., Boutault, L. & Beslic, S. Rapid losses of intertidal salt marshes due to global change in the Gironde estuary (France) and conservation implications for marshland passerines. J Coast Conserv 22, 443–451 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-018-0592-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-018-0592-2

Keywords

  • Birds
  • Climate change
  • Coastal erosion
  • DSAS
  • Intertidal wetlands
  • Sea level rise