Centuries of coastal development has led to the loss of saltmarsh extent worldwide. As marshes are shrinking, scientific understanding of marsh expansion and erosion processes is growing. Coastal managers are also recognising the importance of marshes for flood protection, carbon sequestration, and pollutant filtering. Considerable effort is now being made to conserve saltmarshes. However, the rapid integration of science in policy remains an obstacle for ensuring successful conservation outcomes. This review explores how advances in the understanding of coastal dynamics, and the evolution of coastal management thinking, are shaping saltmarsh conservation policy in Great Britain. Saltmarsh management has shifted from reclamation, to protection, to restoration throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries as calls for nature conservation grew and the importance of ecosystems in coastal erosion risk management became apparent. Studies have revealed that marshes cycle between expansion and erosion phases as part of their natural evolution, governed by processes acting across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Understanding which processes drive long-term marsh change provides an opportunity for coastal managers to undertake targeted intervention for positive conservation outcomes. The inherently dynamic nature of marshes also raises significant challenges in forecasting the long-term value provided by a given marsh. Challenges remain in the monitoring and management of sediment supply and transport, and the effective engagement with stakeholders during habitat protection and creation schemes, which are key to achieving marsh conservation goals.

几个世纪的沿海开发导致全世界盐沼面积的减少。随着沼泽地缩小，对沼泽地扩张和侵蚀过程的科学认识也在增加。沿海管理者也认识到沼泽对于防洪、固碳和过滤污染物的重要性。现在正在做出相当大的努力来保护盐沼。然而，科学在政策中的快速整合仍然是确保成功保护成果的障碍。本综述探讨了对海岸动态理解的进步以及海岸管理思想的演变如何影响英国的盐沼保护政策。盐沼管理已经从填海转移，以保护，恢复整个20^日和21^日几个世纪以来，随着对自然保护的呼声越来越高，生态系统在海岸侵蚀风险管理中的重要性变得显而易见。研究表明，作为自然演化的一部分，沼泽在扩张和侵蚀阶段之间循环，受一系列空间和时间尺度的影响。了解哪些过程推动了长期的沼泽变化，为沿海管理者进行有针对性的干预以取得积极的保护成果提供了机会。沼泽固有的动态特性也给预测特定沼泽提供的长期价值带来了重大挑战。在沉积物供应和运输的监测和管理以及在栖息地保护和创造计划期间与利益相关者的有效接触方面仍然存在挑战，