South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative
A partnership to identify marsh conservation and strengthen communities in coastal Georgia.
The Georgia Conservancy, in partnership with the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative (SASMI), is working to identify opportunities to protect and restore coastal marshland with historical, cultural, and/or spiritual significance to local communities.
SASMI’s goal is to ensure the long-term abundance, health, and resilience of the approximately 1 million acres of coastal marshland along the South Atlantic coastline. Protection and restoration of existing salt marshes and the conservation of land for marsh migration as sea levels rise will help us achieve this goal.
How We Protect and Restore Georgia's Salt Marsh:
The Georgia SASMI Roadmap
The Georgia SASMI Roadmap presents recommendations for specific actions to aid future salt marsh protection. Here, we identify key marsh migration areas to prioritize for conservation and recommend nature-based practices that align with the goals of the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative.
Salt Marsh Projects
The culmination of Georgia Conservancy’s research – consisting of extensive geospatial analysis and community engagement – are priority projects and suggested implementation strategies to move this plan into action. These projects, which represent all six coastal counties, will help strengthen, restore, and safeguard Georgia’s coastal marshland.
Salt Marsh Workshops
Georgia Conservancy, with assistance from Seabrook Village Foundation, held three public workshops as a part of the Salt Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative. In all, the workshops engaged over 130 attendees: these included local staff of NGOs, local government representatives, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, members and leaders of the Gullah Geechee Nation, and the general public.
Stories of The Salt Marsh
Oral histories serve as a bridge; a shimmering thread that connects the empirical rigor of scientific study with the rich, textured experiences of coastal communities. The oral histories collected from the Georgia Conservancy’s 2024/25 SASMI workshops form a mosaic of memories, each piece a glimpse into the evolving relationship between people and the marsh.
Why are Coastal Marshlands Important?
- Salt marshes, and the estuaries that support them, provide shelter, food, and nursery grounds for many of our commercial and recreational fish species.
- Salt marshes and coastal wetlands are some of our most important natural landscapes for sequestering and storing carbon.
- Coastal marshland, and the oyster reefs that populate them, enhance the water quality in our estuaries by filtering polluted stormwater runoff.
- During storms, salt marshes absorb flood waters and wave energy, protecting coastlines from flooding, erosion, and storm surges, and decreasing property damage.
- Coastal marshland provides an important place for people to recreate and find solitude. Our salt marshes include sites of cultural significance and comprise an interconnected network of waterways for boating, fishing, and swimming.
Coastal Marshland and Marsh Migration
Our coastal marshlands are facing an existential threat from encroaching development and rising seas. As sea levels rise, salt marshes will face a “sink or swim” outcome – they will either drown and die off or they will migrate to higher ground, provided there are available lands and no barriers to their movement. Conservation of lands adjacent to the marsh and removal of barriers, such as culverts and bulkheads, will be key in allowing this natural marsh migration process to take place.
Georgia Conservancy Salt Marsh Posts
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