ABSTRACT
Tidal marshes and mangroves are valued for their ecosystem services, including shoreline stabilization, carbon sequestration, water quality improvement through nutrient retention and transformation, water storage and shoreline protection, and habitat for economically important plants and animals (Boesch and Turner 1984, Peterson and Turner 1994, Chmura et al. 2003, Engle 2011). Approximately one-quarter of the global freshwater and saline tidal wetland area has been lost with current rates of loss estimated at 1%–2% per year (Crooks et al. 2011). Losses are largely attributed to human activities and include sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion (Turner 1997, Day et al. 2000, Craft et al. 2009), aquaculture (Valiela et al. 2001, FAO 2007, Coleman et al. 2008), oil and gas exploration (Turner 1997, Day et al. 2000), changes in sediment delivery to the coastal zone (Turner 1997, Day et al. 2000, Weston 2014), and land-use change (Kelly 2001, Warren et al. 2002, Coleman et al. 2008).
