Inland salt marsh habitat restoration can be based on artificial flooding

Abstract

Natural inland salt marshes of the temperate zone, which have been under protection for years, are still endangered and are shrinking. Unfortunately, there are not many works devoted to practical solutions to this problem in the literature. To fill this gap the article presents the results of interdisciplinary research on the reclamation of inland salt marshes on the example of a nature reserve in Central Europe. The reserve's vegetation, soil seed bank, soil, water and land geology were analysed. To reclaim the area, it was proposed using brine from a nearby health resort. This solution has been analysed in terms of salinity and sanitary safety. The results of the analyses showed that the use of brine to regularly flood the reserve's meadow should result in spontaneous restoration of the habitat rich in halophyte biodiversity. Additionally, conservation and restoration of natural saline biodiverse habitats that can be a source of new crop plants or salinity tolerance genes is important due to the growing problem of salinity in global agriculture. Therefore, presented results could inspire scientists, stakeholders and policymakers in the sustainable management of nature and human infrastructure.