Australian Saltmarsh Ecology

Cover image featuring a view of a salt marsh with bushes of different colours of green, red and yellow.

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Edited by: Neil Saintilan

eBook - February 2009 - eRetailers

The first comprehensive review of the ecology and management of Australian saltmarshes.

Australian Saltmarsh Ecology presents the first comprehensive review of the ecology and management of Australian saltmarshes. The past 10 years in particular have seen a sustained research effort into this previously poorly understood and neglected resource. + Full description

Leading experts in the field outline what is known of the biogeography and geomorphology of Australian saltmarshes, their fish and invertebrate ecology, the use of Australian saltmarshes by birds and insectivorous bats, and the particular challenges of management, including the control of mosquito pests, and the issue of sea-level rise. They provide a powerful argument that coastal saltmarsh is a unique and critical habitat vulnerable to the combined impacts of coastal development and sea-level rise.

The book will be an important reference for saltmarsh researchers, marine and aquatic biologists, natural resource managers, environmentalists and ecologists, as well as undergraduate students and the interested layperson.

- Short description

News

No longer available in a print edition.

Reviews

"This attempts to collate, in some 230 pages of crisp text, what we now know of Australian saltmarshes as ecosystems and as a biological setting for a range of organisms – it is currently the proverbial 'one-stop-shop' for such information and so should see much use over coming years."
Peter G Fairweather, Austral Ecology, Vol 35

"…this book is a valuable and long-overdue resource that will benefit saltmarsh ecologists, managers and other stakeholders, as well as students and the wider public."
Bea Sommer, Pacific Conservation Biology, 2010

"The growing realisation of the productivity and ecological importance of coastal saltmarshes and the dual threats of development encroachment and sea level rise on these systems makes the timing of this book particularly pertinent…the book is an excellent reference document for practitioners and contains a definitive bibliography for future use."
Greg Fisk, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, Vol 17, March 2010

"The highly qualified and credible contributors provide a powerful argument that coastal saltmarshes are a critical habitat exposed to the combined impact of coastal development and rising sea levels. It will be a useful resource for the Year of Learning for Sustainability in 2010."
Scan (NSW Department of Education and Training), Vol. 28, No. 4, November 2009

"Pulling together all aspects of the ecology and management of Australian saltmarshes in a comprehensive and easily accessed resource, it is an excellent reference for everyone from the interested amateur to the professional ecologist or policy maker."
Greg Kerr, Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 140, September 2009

"In a concise ten chapters, this book presents a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge on the flora, fauna, ecosystem functions, and management issues of the coastal marshes in Australia, and calls attention to significant gaps in relevant information. In summary, a highly recommendable, stimulating book, valuable from both the scientific and management points of view, and interesting not only for researchers and students dealing with Australian saltmarshes, but for everyone interested in these sensitive and endangered ecosystems."
Ruben Jose Lara, Wetlands Ecology Management, 25 June 2009

"A fair percentage of the references are recent, having been published within the last decade, reinforcing both the currency of this book and how much it is needed. I think that the valuable work done by scientific researchers, as demonstrated in this book, needs to be shared with the stakeholders and a wider public."
Linda Dalgliesh, Australian Plant Conservation Vol 18, no.1, June-August 2009

"The outstanding contribution to the volume is that of Paul Adam on the global context, which contains an excellent review of invasive species and their impacts…any reader, whether a professional saltmarsh ecologist or not, will learn a lot from reading this volume, even which State to live in to minimise the chances of contracting Ross River fever."
Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, Australian Marine Sciences Association Bulletin, 2009

Details

ePDF | February 2009
ISBN: 9780643096844
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | February 2009
ISBN: 9780643098596
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

This is the first book on Australian saltmarsh
Brings together the leading saltmarsh researchers in Australia
Provides a powerful argument that saltmarsh is a critically important habitat

List of contributors
Preface
Chapter 1 - Australian saltmarshes in global context
Chapter 2 - Distribution of Australian saltmarsh plants
Chapter 3 - Geomorphology and habitat dynamics
Chapter 4 - The ecology of molluscs in Australian saltmarshes
Chapter 5 - Ecology of burrowing crabs in temperate saltmarsh of south-east Australia
Chapter 6 - Fish on Australian saltmarshes
Chapter 7 - Saltmarsh as habitat for birds and other vertebrates
Chapter 8 - Ecology and management of mosquitoes
Chapter 9 - Protection and management of coastal saltmarsh
Chapter 10 - Mapping, assessment and monitoring of saltmarshes
Index

Authors

Dr Neil Saintilan is Principal Research Scientist in the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change where he heads the Rivers and Wetlands Unit. He has spent more than twenty years exploring the ecology of coastal wetlands, including mangroves and saltmarshes. He and his students have discovered the importance of coastal saltmarsh a range of organisms including crustaceans, birds, fish and bats, and have documented the vulnerability of coastal saltmarsh to sea level rise.