Salt marshes occur in estuarine systems throughout Lancashire and the Sefton area of North Merseyside. Most of the outer salt marshes have statutory protection but most in the upper tidal reaches of the rivers do not.

It is important to protect the diversity of salt marsh habitats for both plants and animals. Sensitive grazing helps to maintain this diversity. Salt marshes can be adversely affected by insensitive management, and by infrastructure development.

Ribble Marshes, Lancashire & North Merseyside

Livestock graze most salt marshes around the Ribble Estuary. This makes the vegetation particularly attractive to wildfowl, for which these areas are internationally important. The Wigeon, in particular, occurs here in greater numbers than at any other site in the United Kingdom. The salt marsh at Warton is rich in wild plants.

Wyre Marshes, Lancashire

Salt marshes on the Wyre Estuary are not grazed by livestock and are particularly rich in wild plants, as at our nature reserve at Barnaby's Sands and Burrows Marsh. This estuary also has good examples of transition zones from salt marsh to freshwater marsh in the upper tidal reaches. The endemic Rock Sea-lavender (Limonium britannicum) has a population on the Wyre, its only site in Lancashire.

Mersey Marshes, Cheshire and Merseyside

On the North Merseyside shore of the Mersey Estuary, most surviving salt marsh is found at Oglet, Liverpool. Small areas also exist on the Alt Estuary at Hightown and in the Seaforth Docks.

Morecambe Bay Marshes, Lancashire and Cumbria

Morecambe Bay has more than 5% of the UK's total area of salt marsh.

On its Lancashire shore, the Bay has some important areas of grazed salt marsh off Carnforth; and the Lune Estuary also has grazed salt marshes that are important for grazing wildfowl. Sites important for salt marsh plants are found at Middleton and Bolton-le-Sands.