Outstanding success for Yorkshire, England habitat replacement scheme

The European Commission recently released its Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources, outlining proposals to ensure better implementation of the EU’s water policy objectives. Several initiatives recognise the benefits of river restoration to improve the ecological status of Europe’s waters.

The Blueprint includes proposals on natural water retention, ecological flows and water accounts, and encourages restoration measures in the River Basin Management Plans and Flood Risk Management Plans submitted by Member States.

View the Blueprint submission by RESTORE and partners: http://www.restorerivers.eu/Publications/tabid/2624/mod/11083/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3297/Default.aspx

View the Blueprint: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/blueprint/index_en.htm

The final programme is now confirmed for the 'Improving morphology and fish passage in high energy rivers' RESTORE workshop to be held at the Birnam Institute, Dunkeld, Scotland, PH8 0DS. The workshop is 25th September and optional site visit on 26th September (based around Pitlochory and the Rivers Tay and Tummel).

Following the release of  beavers into an enclosure in Cwm Einion near Machynlleth, Powys  2 years ago, the Welsh Beaver Project has published a report outlining a proposal to release beavers back into the river valleys of Wales. In an article by the BBC proponents of the project argue that the beavers will cut flood risk and help boost biodiversity. Project co-ordinator Adrian LLoyd Jones told the BBC that beavers are'gentle and effective managers of wetland and river woodland habitat and that beaver dams would help reduce flash floods by slowing down rivers in spate'

A rare dragonfly has been discovered on the River Nene following Environment Agency work to improve habitat.

The scarce chaser dragonfly (Libellula fulva)  was discovered on Castor Backwater, near to the villages of Castor and Ailsworth, during a survey to assess how effective a restoration project there had been.

Chris Extence, Environment Monitoring Team Leader, said: “We are monitoring our river restoration project on Castor Backwater to see how successful it has been. We have already received good feedback from local anglers about fish using the area to spawn. Now, we have also noted the appearance of the scarce chaser dragonfly.

“This is great news and shows that the project is already helping to improve this stretch of the River Nene.”

The scare chaser dragonfly is native to the UK. It is officially recognised as being rare and the species is deemed to be of national importance.

Chris said: “We have only found this species once before on the Nene, a single specimen being found at Lilford Bridge in 2007. This new finding is of considerable importance as it shows that other parts of the river, withsuitable habitat, are capable of supporting breeding populations of this rare and very attractive dragonfly.”

The Castor Backwater restoration project was carried out by the Environment Agency with support from the Nene Park Trust. It aimed to protect and improve important wildlife and coarse fish habitat and included repairing and re-profiling the river’s banks, installing fencing and cattle-drinkers and creating two fish-refuge ponds. The ponds provide areas for fish to shelter from high flows. Newly installed gravel on the river bed has provided much needed spawning habitat for fish.

The Castor Backwater project followed a survey carried out by the Wildlife Trust in 2010. It cost £40,000 and took around five weeks to complete.

Short-term monitoring of the project is now complete, but the Environment Agency intends to revisit the site later this year to check on progress.