Case study:River Nene Nature Improvement Area

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Location: 52° 14' 25.72" N, 0° 54' 9.56" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site	http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/biodiversity/funding/nia/projects/nenevalley.aspx
Themes	Economic aspects, Fisheries, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Social benefits, Urban
Country	England
Main contact forename	Simon
Main contact surname	Whitton
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	River Restoration Centre
Contact organisation web site	http://www.therrc.co.uk
Partner organisations	Natural England, Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Backwater created on the River Ise (Rushton Loop)

Project summary

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What is the Nene Valley NIA? Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) were introduced by the government’s Natural Environment White Paper (June 2011) to “enhance and reconnect nature on a significant scale”. The Nene Valley NIA includes the River Nene and its main tributaries, plus a 3km radius on either side, from Daventry to Peterborough (41,350 hectares in total), and contains a fragmented network of statutory and non- statutory sites, such as SSSIs and SAPs. At 161km, it is the tenth longest river in the UK, and, being navigable from the Wash to Northampton (142km), is highly managed with locks and other infrastructure. It is located in the UK’s second largest growth area and is therefore exposed to significant development pressure. These include built development, increasing inappropriate public access, and competition for water resources. Land management practices threaten ecosystem services and the connectivity of habitats.

Aims and objectives: The NIA will reverse the decline in biodiversity and restore the ecological network in the Nene Valley. It will help meet the challenges of a growing population, changing climate, and need to produce food while realising complimentary benefits that create a naturally functioning interlinked landscape. The NIA has 5 objectives, including: enhancing public access and awareness of the NIA; supporting development which will benefit the natural environment; engaging with farmers and improving ecosystems services. The Nene NIA is currently funded from 2013-2015 by Natural England.

Objective 3 of the NIA is to “improve the ecological status of the river and enhance ecosystem service provision”. Much of the Nene is in Water Framework Directive poor ecological status due to diffuse pollution, water abstraction, and heavily modified river morphology due to channel alteration for navigation and flood risk management. These issues account for approximately 75% of the reasons for waterbodies in the Nene catchment failing to meet good status or potential.

The Nene Valley NIA Partnership was formed by its stakeholders to enable a strategic and joined up approach to tackling these issues. The stakeholders form a coalition of experts including new partners and others well established in the valley. These include; River Nene Regional Park, the Environment Agency, the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust and the River Restoration Centre.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Under objective 3 of the NIA walkover surveys to assess the habitat of the main Nene have been completed. Walkovers are also used to identify opportunities for habitat restoration. The river’s major tributaries are now being assessed.

So far three projects have been delivered: Duston, Northampton: marginal habitat has been improved upstream of St James End Weir. Rushton, near Kettering: a 45m-long backwater has been created by excavating part of an old meander loop. Orton Lock, Peterborough: an area of bank erosion downstream of the lock has been stabilised by “cutting & hinging” live willow into the scour holes and then adding further brushwood.

Restoration options on the main river are limited due to navigation and flood risk management. Proposed projects include the construction of fish easements on barriers, the excavation/re-connection of backwaters for fish spawning and refuges and improving urban marginal river habitats.

Lessons learnt

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Image gallery

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An example of improved urban marginal river habitat on the Nene

Scour holes at Orton lock packed with woody material

Marginal habitat improvement upstream of St James End Weir at Duston, Northamptonshire

Cattle poaching causing bank erosion on the Nene

Heavily modified channel of the Nene: dredging and construction of flood bunds to contain high flows disconnecting the river from its floodplain

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Anglian River basin Nene Subcatchment River name Nene Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 100 - 200 m Maximum altitude (m) 161161 m <br />0.161 km <br />16,100 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Arable and Horticulture Waterbody ID GB105032045300 Other case studies in this subcatchment: Resilient River Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes GB105032045300 WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Nene Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present No Invasive species present No Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Barriers to fish migration, Flood risk management, Impoundments (not hydropower), Navigation, Urbanisation Hydromorphology Channel pattern/planform, Continuity for organisms, Continuity of sediment transport, Quantity & dynamics of flow Biology Fish, Invertebrates Physico-chemical Nutrient concentrations, Specific synthetic pollutants Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Bank improvement, Bank stabilisation, Creation of fish refuge areas, Fenced off riverbank, Habitat diversification Floodplain / River corridor installing riverside fencing, reduce diffuse pollution, Creation of backwaters, Increased diversity in marginal vegetation, Installing riverside fencing Planform / Channel pattern Backwaters created Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description http://www.nenevalleynia.org/ Nene Valley NIA website http://www.wildlifebcn.org/thenenevalley/nia Wildlife Trusts BCN website - Nene Valley NIA http://www.riverneneregionalpark.org/default.asp?PageID=436 River Nene Regional Park website http://www.riverneneregionalpark.org/images/PDF Files/River Nene Regional Park/Projects/NICP/Nene%20Catchment%20Reportw.pdf Draft River Nene Catchment Management Plan Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information