Rebecca St Ledger

Rebecca's research

Rebecca is a Masters student researching the effectiveness of stock exclusion fencing to restore saltmarsh ecosystems in Swan Bay (southeast Australia). Rebecca is investigating the potential blue carbon benefits of restoring saltmarsh ecosystems by excluding livestock, and whether this can improve carbon accumulation rates in saltmarsh.

Australian saltmarsh ecosystems are globally significant carbon sequestration hotspots that are suffering from high rates of degradation and destruction, often due to land conversion for agricultural purposes. Simple interventions such as livestock exclusion fencing could protect and restore saltmarsh habitat and lead to improved outcomes for carbon sequestration, but no research has yet investigated this method in Australian coastal wetland settings.

Rebecca currently works in the natural resource management sector specialising in coastal and marine ecosystems for a not-for-profit organisation with long-standing links to the saltmarsh around Swan Bay. She has always taken a keen interest in the vegetated coastal ecosystems of Port Phillip Bay and is very excited to be joining the Blue Carbon Lab.