Community dynamics in restored salt marshes

Salt marshes are important coastal ecosystems as they provide many services to surrounding areas. However, due to their highly productive nature, they have a long history of being converted into farmland in the Maritimes and continue to be altered for human development. Salt marsh restoration has become popular recently to mitigate the increasing societal costs associated with rising ocean levels, as well as to increase amount of suitable habitat for various waterfowl species. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) initiated a salt marsh restoration project in 2010 near Fort Beauséjour in Aulac, New Brunswick, with the goals of reverting farmland back to salt marsh habitat and assessing the effectiveness of restoration methods. The intern will monitor the change of the biological communities (both terrestrial and aquatic) and provide insights on best management strategies for salt marsh restoration. This information is useful to the environmental consulting, agricultural, transport, fishery and hunting industries, and to agencies interested in salt marsh restoration.

Faculty Supervisor:

Myriam Barbeau

Student:

Partner:

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

University of New Brunswick

Program:

Accelerate