Property:Monitoring surveys and results
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L
Thanks to ECORICE, 1.60 ha of new wetlands have been created in a purely rice paddy environment, 5 ha of marshy areas have been reconstructed and 2 km of irrigation channels have been renatured through the plantation of new arboreal-shrubby country hedges and of more than 1 ha of new shrubs and trees. The ECORICE interventions are recent, therefore it will be necessary to wait a few more years to be able to make significant correlations between the interventions realized in the areas and the increase of the nests concentration so as to evaluate their effectiveness, while the requalification activities have surely led to an important overall increase in terms of covered habitats and expected formations of nests.
The Integrated Action Plan of ECORICE, whose objective was to identify priorities, expected results and sharable actions in the view of a careful management of rice cultivation capable to conserve and protect high biodiversity values, takes into account the precious environmental and agronomic data acquired through surveys performed within the IRFEN network (International Rice Field Ecological Network) and illustrates actions which can be well replicated within the rural development policies at European level. +
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The Eden Demonstration Test Catchment (EdenDTC) project will carry out monitoring of stream water quality and biology. This includes monitoring nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and water volume.
Additionally before and after photographs will be taken of project sites and electrofishing surveys take place within the catchment. +
R
The Friends of Bucknall Park, supported by the catchment partnership will carry out RiverLife monitoring 4 times per year. The Environment Agency have carried out Electrofishing surveys on site. Local sighting or issues are reported via the catchment coordinator. +
L
The Lower Otter Restoration Project is returning the Lower Otter Valley and Otter Estuary to a more natural state and function by harnessing nature-based solutions. Without pre-emptive adaptation, the valley would not be sustainable in the face of climate change, the effects of which are already being felt. These impacts are further exacerbated by man-made modifications for commercial and agricultural purposes that have been implemented over the last 200 years.
The main components of LORP are the reconnection of the River Otter and the reintroduction of wetland habitat. This habitat acts as a natural filter for pollutants, traps carbon, and increases biodiversity by providing important feeding and breeding grounds for a variety of species of wading birds, fish and invertebrates.
By strategically breaching embankments, including a final 70-meter breach, and creating a new network of natural channels, the tide will flow back into its historic floodplain, providing a multitude of benefits, including the above.
Through these natural solutions, LORP demonstrates that it is possible to adapt to the challenges of climate change, reverse significant habitat and biodiversity loss, and improve degraded systems by working alongside nature, rather than against it.
The project is not only improving the ecological health of the Otter Valley and Estuary, but also providing important socio-economic benefits for local communities, such as improved flood resilience and infrastructure, and enhanced wellbeing, health, and recreational activities.
This makes LORP a shining example of how natural processes can be harnessed to provide multiple benefits to wildlife, the environment, and people. By working with nature, the project is helping to create a more resilient, sustainable, and brighter future for the Otter Valley, its estuary, and surrounding communities.
* Restoration has led to a new National Nature Reserve in the ‘King’s Series’: an extension of the Pebblebed Heaths NNR to include the Lower Otter Restoration Project area – a managed realignment scheme delivered by the EA with a budget input of approx. £30 million.
* The new NNR will be further extended by the new Round 2 Landscape Recovery ‘Heaths to Sea’ project under ELMS. It will connect the Pebblebed Heaths with the Otter estuary over 4000ha, and restore 175ha of wetland, 18km of river and create 96ha of riparian woodland.
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The National Trust owns two complete river systems at Holnicote and has been involved in comprehensive hydrological monitoring for around 15 years. The Riverlands project has built on this legacy and has completed flow and water quality monitoring at key project locations within the catchment. The project will continue to monitor water quality and quantity to determine the effect of nature based solutions deployed at scale. Additional hydromorphological monitoring includes high resolution drone monitoring and remote sensing to provide a baseline of river form, groundwater, water and soil temperature, soil chemistry and organic matter and fluvial transport assessment.
Additionally the project is also monitoring key indicators including (but not limited to) fish, fish habitat, aquatic invertebrates, bats, nesting birds, grass snakes, water vole and butterfly. +
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Assessing the habitats outcomes of Floodplain Forest restoration: the case study of the floodplain forest at the Ouse Valley Park +
The Parks Trust engaged Cranfield University to help establish a monitoring and evaluation strategy for the floodplain forest. As well as monitoring environmental variables the Trust will instigate market research and community engagement programmes to assess the effect of the developing habitat on how local people and visitors from further afield use and perceive the site.
Cranfield University aimed to assess the habitat outcomes in the floodplain forest after quarry works finished. We have designed an adaptive monitoring framework in order to assess key variables (i.e. creating a baseline for further comparisons over time after restoration works finished). The key variables selected for restoration appraisal are soil, water table, vegetation, water quality and topography. We complement the AMF with a hypothesis (The ratio between vegetation associated with wet and dry soils within the floodplain forest and its associated river is determined by the site topography and the water table level) and study the water table level interaction with tree species in a glasshouse experiment. Results gathered in the experiment will be extrapolated to the field to assess the suitable habitats planting according to water table availability and topography in the floodplain forest. +
The RAFTS habitat scores highlight this weir and the upstream weir at Millheugh as the highest priority barriers in the Clyde catchment. Providing fish passage will open up significant areas (up to 35km) of excellent quality habitat to migratory salmonids. +
T
The Wear Rivers Trust operates fish and inverte-brate surveys to assess fish populations and water health in both catchments. Under CRF a Durham University PhD student, with WRT and volunteer support, will survey below and above each obstruc-tion both before and after restoration activities to measure impacts on those animal groups. Changes in invertebrate communities are not expected as a direct result of the restoration activities but they can inform on the wider food web for fish feeding opportunities, and provide biotic indices of water quality, giving wider insight into local environmental quality. Waste water management is significant across the Lower Wear system, including these two catchments. Supplementary projects, based on a separate volunteer walkover programme, will be developed under the auspices of the Wear River Catchment Management Plan to identify and address point and diffuse sources of pollution, in order to augment CRF actions for improvement to fish movement within these catchments. +
The Wear Rivers Trust operates fish and invertebrate surveys to assess fish populations and water health in both catchments. Under CRF a Durham University PhD student, with WRT and volunteer support, will survey below and above each obstruction both before and after restoration activities to measure impacts on those animal groups. Changes in invertebrate communities are not expected as a direct result of the restoration activities but they can inform on the wider food web for fish feeding opportunities, and provide biotic indices of water quality, giving wider insight into local environmental quality. Waste water management is significant across the Lower Wear system, including these two catchments. Supplementary projects, based on a separate volunteer walkover programme, will be developed under the auspices of the Wear River Catchment Management Plan to identify and address point and diffuse sources of pollution, in order to augment CRF actions for improvement to fish movement within these catchments +
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The Worfe catchment comprises nine water bodies, of which eight are in poor or moderate condition and only one water body is currently classed as Good status, but this is at risk of failing Good status. The reasons for failure to reach Good status include Phosphate, Fish, Nitrate, Diatoms, Macronvertebrates, BOD, Flow, Macrophytes, Dissolved Oxygen and Sedimentation.
Using a standardised and complimentary approach, walkover and remote sensing surveys were undertaken in 2012/13 allowing us to identify the areas where pollution inputs were most likely to be occurring. Impacts were graded on a scale of Grade 1 to Grade 3; Grade 1 being the most severe. In total, 190 sources were identified, with 17 of these recognised as high priority ‘Grade 1’ sources. This standardised categorisation facilitated subsequent analysis, enabling key issues to be identified. Photographs and/ or video footage were taken at each location, depending on the severity of the issues identified along with comments to provide specific details of the observations made. Furthermore, the location of each source was recorded in the field using a GPS, enabling subsequent GIS analysis of the spatial distribution of sources to be undertaken.
Using the data recorded during the walkover surveys, a wet weather sampling plan was established to ascertain the area’s most susceptible to pollutant inputs and to quantify the relative inputs. Under the appropriate wet weather conditions a team of field scientists from APEM were mobilised to the Worfe catchment and samples were taken at each of the pre-determined locations. During the wet weather sampling on the ground, high resolution imagery was also recorded from an aircraft to further identify sources of pollution and runoff pathways.
The combined data provided from the initial walkover survey and subsequent wet weather sampling allowed a more targeted approach in the areas of the catchment most likely to be having a negative impact on water quality. Agricultural visits were arranged in these high priority areas, providing targeted farm advice on controlling diffuse pollution in meetings with landowners. Farm information packs and action plans were produced to notify landowners of issues relevant to their business and implement practical solutions for diffuse pollution remediation. By taking this approach we have been able to implement solutions to reduce pollution and improve quality in the catchment.
We have developed a standardised approach that has been identified as best practice by the Environment Agencys and adopted by Natural England and Rivers Trusts amongst others.
Identifying the issues is only the start. We are helping to provide the evidence base to address the issues. Ultimately knowing the problem is only the start and we are developing tools to provide solutions and make real changes. The catchment based approach is not only about understanding a catchment but making the changes to improve it.
The SRT has wider catchment restoration visions for the entirety of the River Severn watershed – notably in other high priority failing watercourses. The contribution of the Worfe restoration work to this vision is vital and the project aims to result in the improvements to at least 27 WFD elements and the status of all nine water bodies in the catchment by 2015. In addition, the improvement in water quality in the Worfe catchment will have wide ranging implications for the WFD categorisation of the River Severn as a whole and will contribute to measures actioned in the Midlands Catchment Flood Management Plans.
The actions carried out so far have increased the potential recolonization lenght by migratory fish by 2.5 km in the Course, 2.8 km in the Baillons stream, 3 km in the Créquoise and several kilometers in the Ternoise. +
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The bank vegetation is developing well and resembles wetland vegetation. The exotic plant Crassula helmsii poses a risk, as it might dominate other species. So far, grazers have not been sufficient for removing undesirable vegetation. Trees need to be cut regularly. +
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The beck is now providing an improved habitat for wild trout and there has been an increase in catch rates. The beck now provides an enhanced habitat for other flora and fauna. The banks are more stable and trees in danger of falling in the beck and damaging the bank have been removed. +
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The benefits of the Environment Agency river restoration work include:
*An improved river that will attract new wildlife and become a focal point of interest for the local community and which can be used by local schools as an educational resource.
*Creation of a meander and backwater in a previously straightened river, which will improve the habitat for fish.
*The concrete bed protection on the Bonesgate Stream has been removed which will improve the appearance of the river and the local environment for wildlife.
*A restored footbridge to complement the adjacent new footbridge and ensuring continued safe access for residents, including wheelchairs and pushchairs.
*Planting of a wildflower meadow, connecting the existing grassland habitats within the river valley to provide benefits for wildlife and especially butterflies.
*Cutting back trees in the existing woodland, allowing light in for other plant life to grow diversifying the habitat and supporting more animals such as dragonflies.
*Local reaction to the improvements has been very positive
The Hogsmill River is an important wildlife refuge and has great recreational value, but was perceived by many as run down and a shadow of its former self. In places it was steep-sided, concrete-lined, crossed by service pipes and strewn with litter. Despite this, the river which originates as a chalk stream in Ewell still provides a home to fish such as stone loach, minnows and bullhead and if nature lovers are lucky, they can see one of the kingfishers which live along the river.
The Environment Agency has contributed to this project to restore the river and make it a more visible and accessible area for local residents to enjoy with improvements for wildlife and flood defenses.
The benefits of the Environment Agency river restoration work include: an improved river that will attract new wildlife and become a focal point of interest for the local community and which can be used by local schools as an educational resource; creation of a meander and backwater in a previously straightened river, which will improve the habitat for fish; the concrete bed protection on the Bonesgate Stream has been removed which will improve the appearance of the river and the local environment for wildlife; a restored footbridge to complement the adjacent new footbridge and ensuring continued safe access for residents, including wheelchairs and pushchairs; planting of a wildflower meadow, connecting the existing grassland habitats within the river valley to provide benefits for wildlife and especially butterflies; cutting back trees in the existing woodland, allowing light in for other plant life to grow diversifying the habitat and supporting more animals such as dragonflies.
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The boards kept the sediment in its desired place. Once a sufficient vegetation cover was established, the stream could flow freely without regulation or undesirable erosion. In the current landscape, the stream is more prominent. +
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The brook is now more suited for fish because the water quality is better. One month after the restoration work numerous sea trout individuals were observed spawning in the River Fugla. +
B
The bundles of branches got clogged and started to cause backwater effects. Therefore, they were replaced with coarser material, which did not cover the full width of the stream. This had a positive effect on macroinvertebrates and created more variation in structure. +
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The coir is positioned to narrow and meander the channel to alter the flows and to scour and clean gravels. Improvements have already been noted.
WFD and habitat improvements and new management of the brook. +
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The condition in 2019 after the rehabilitation work showed major environmental improvements, but the environmental objectives of good chemical status and good ecological potential have not yet been reached. Further measures are required to reduce agricultural runoff and to implement the final regime for environmentally based water discharges. As of 2019, the hydroelectric license is under review at NVE (The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate).
Litterature e.g.:
www.fylkesmannen.no/contentassets/74f02cdd90cb485ea8def16785a345d3/ballangen---borselva---2016---etterundersokelser-etter-restaureringstiltak---vannvegetasjon-og-fisk---niva-rapp-7083-2016.pdf +
E
The design and downstream effects of
these floods have been monitored and discussed in several studies
(Batalla et al., 2006; Batalla and Vericat, 2009). In 2010, the flood
hydrograph was slightly modified because of progressive reductions in
the efficiencies of the 2002–2009 releases. Recently, Tena et al. (2013)
monitored flow and sediment transport, river bathymetry, and geomorphic
effects during the flushing flow of May 2008, and Tena et al.
(2014) focused on the spatial and temporal dynamics of suspended
sediment transport during the 2008–2011 flushing events. Those
experiments have made use of different sampling procedures (e.g.,
sonar backscatter for estimating macrophyte density, or a boardmounted
acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) to measure discharge
and hydraulics). The sampling reach for many of those works
was a 12-km long reach located between the Flix Dam toe and the Ascó
gauging station. +