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U
Ullswater - Winner of 'catchment-scale award - RiverPrize 2024
Ullswater is one of the most iconic destinations in the Lake District, attracting millions of visitors every year and home to thriving rural communities. However, decades of agricultural intensification and land use change have resulted in highly modified river and declining biodiversity. The Ullswater catchment restoration project seeks to reverse this decline in habitat and natural processes through working with landowners and local communities to foster change at a catchment scale.
The project area includes the headwaters systems, tributaries, rivers, and catchment land draining into Ullswater. These systems have been historically modified to improve the valley bottom areas for farming, with straightening, deepening, embanking, revetments, and width rationalisation a common sight. Hidden alterations to the functioning of the system are also present with underdrainage significantly impacting on the natural hydrology. The consequence of such high levels of modification combined with a changing climate has increased the flood risk to local communities. This is coupled with frequent seasonal drying of main river systems during periods of reduced rainfall. Valley floor modification is significant, and the combined effect of all changes has been to severely degrade the wet environment with consequent losses of biodiversity.
In response the Ullswater catchment Partnership has been working to deliver management initiatives and physical interventions for almost 10years. The partners have delivered 282 projects, including over 13km of river restoration, 46ha of water storage, 12km of hedgerow creation, 497ha of wood pasture restoration and 249ha of peat and wetland restoration. A key large-scale achievement has been the river and valley bottom naturalisation work which stretches from the bottom of Kirkstone Pass to Ullswater and includes large areas of the Brothers Water SSSI and the River Eden and tributaries SSSI.
Numerous farm scale initiatives have been carried out across the catchment with the partnership carrying out restoration across a total area of 843ha. The interventions across the catchment include:
*River restoration through de-culverting, embankment removal, small barrier removal, stage 0 interventions, and re-meandering over 13.7km
*Pond creation and offline water storage totalling 46ha.
*Hedgerow creation and restoration and riparian corridor restoration over 16km
*Wood pasture creation and restoration across 497ha
*Peat and wetland restoration over 249ha
R
Under the Water Framework Directive, the River Tutt is classified as being heavily modified and as having only Moderate Ecological Potential (2015, EA). It fails on the basis of fish habitat and numbers. The Tutt is part of YWT’s River Ure Living Landscape. Living Landscapes were developed to create robust ecological networks, enabling species to adapt to climate change. They align with the principles of the Natural Environment White Paper, which advocates ‘more, bigger, better and joined’ natural spaces. The River Tutt is straightened, over-deepened and the banks re-sectioned, with little heterogeneity in the flow and a lack of features such as deposits and areas of erosion. Water quality is poor, with high sediment after rain. In many locations intensively managed land runs right up to the river bank. A feasibility study, habitat survey and fluvial audit carried out by YWT and Middlemarch Environmental (Jan and Feb 2015) identified a comprehensive set of solutions that were available to improve the Tutt’s ecological quality. YWT intend to use a phased approach to implement these measures, working in partnership with the Swale and Ure Drainage Board, who manage the river, and with other riparian landowners.
This project would constitute one phase of these works. It would decrease sedimentation, increase connectivity and mitigate the impact of historic modifications on the ecological potential of the water by carrying out a range of works such as bankside fencing, tree planting and management, creation of buffer strips, installation of cattle drinking areas, bank re-profiling and willow spiling. YWT hopes to hear from riparian landowners in the catchment who might be keen to have such works carried out on their land which could be funded through a YWT managed project. +
A
Austria Upper Mur - LIFE+ (LIFE+ 08 NAT A 614) „Inner-Alpine river basin management – Upper River Mur - murerleben II" 2010-2015 +
Under the heading of "murerleben" already the second LIFE - project on the river Upper Mur runs in Austria. After completion of murerleben I, murerleben II started, considering the monitoring results and lessons learned:
• to enhance and support the previously implemented stepping stones focussing on their up- and downstream impacts.
• to create large connected and diversified habitats in the river and its alluvial forest areas
• to support the consolidation of the revitalized sections
• to enable those species which need various, local separate habitat structures, such as amphibians and kinds of fish to benefit from these contiguous habitat complexes (wintering, spawning, summer quarters)
The new LIFE+ areas were selected consciously in due consideration of previous projects in order to strengthen the already taken measures and to create a related restructuring stretch of river. The measures, but also the synergy effects of the measures, are scientifically examined in a monitoring programme aiming at documenting and maintaining the success of the projects. The programme is going to continue until 2015.
In the present second LIFE+ project from 2010 to 2015 investments of about EUR 2.8 Mio. are planned, 50% thereof is financed by the EU. 7 new measures are projected in connection with “murerleben I”
• Revitalisation or recreation of 7 distributaries and widenings
• Initiation of 17,7 ha new areas with alluvial forest
• Implementation of ponds serving as habitats for amphibians (13,000 m²)
• Reactivation of approximately 10 ha flooding area
In accordance with the objectives of the Natural Habitats Directive and the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive in the two LIFE-Projects 16 water segments of the river Mur (a total length of 90 km) are planned. The implementation regards the preservation of the biodiversity, the dynamic river development as well as the improvement of the passive flood protection. +
U
Unlocking the Severn has been a once in a lifetime river restoration project, restoring connectivity for migratory fish on the UK’s longest river and engaging thousands of people with the fascinating natural, cultural, and industrial heritage of the Severn. The twaite shad were once seen migrating upstream in their hundreds of thousands each May but became separated from their natural spawning grounds by artificial river barriers, sending the population into chronic decline and confining them to lower reaches of the Severn, downstream of Diglis weir in Worcester.
Victorian engineering brought huge advancements to society during the nineteenth century through the construction of locks and weirs along the Severn to address the challenges of fluctuating river levels. This enabled the transportation of more goods to support the industrial revolution which was integral to economic growth and local communities at the time. However, weir construction had significant negative ecological impacts, specifically on migratory fish which were unable to navigate around or over the weirs. The shad in particular do not have the ability to jump over barriers and could no longer migrate freely upstream.
To reconnect this fragmented ecosystem Unlocking the Severn set out to undertake work on two major rivers at six sites which had been identified as the barriers to migration. These were the weirs at Diglis, Bevere, Holt, and Lincomb on the Severn and Powick and Knightsford on the Teme. The aim was to help restore the twaite shad population by significantly improving access to quality spawning and nursery habitat, re-establishing a total of 253km of its former natural range. It also set out to deliver a ground-breaking scientific monitoring programme to greatly broaden and improve knowledge and understanding of the twaite shad, and an ambitious plan to engage local communities in conservation, long-term protection, and sustainability of the fish and of rivers.
The key objectives of the project were to:
1) Restore upstream passage and access for the shad and other migratory species. Ambitious and complex engineering and construction of fish passes to reconnect migration routes with historic spawning habitat, restore connectivity and improve access upstream for all species of fish.
2) Monitor population and behaviour using best practice techniques and citizen science to increase knowledge and understanding of the twaite shad and prove successful upstream migratory passage through the new fish passes.
3) Disseminate monitoring results and findings including effective transnational exchange of best practice to help support others and aid population restoration of twaite shad elsewhere, including an internationally attended scientific conference and networking with other fisheries managers across Europe.
4) Raise Awareness through an extensive programme of community and public engagement activities to help increase local understanding of the historical, biological, and potential economic values of the shad and the wider river environment, and the wide-ranging benefits of conservation initiatives.
Unlocking the Severn was delivered by Canal & River Trust in partnership with Severn Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and Natural England and made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the European Union LIFE programme.
T
Until the 20th century vast areas of the Danube Delta faced only minimal human impacts through extensive fishery and reed harvesting. Since then the Danube Delta has undergone multiple human impacts like embankment, channelization and drainage. Moreover, large areas were diked and the polders used for agriculture.
The Cernovca polder (1.580ha) was reconnected to the Danube in 1996, and recovery has been monitored by the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development Tulcea.
Within a few years a redevelopment of the site-specific biodiversity occurred and ecosystem services like nutrient retention and fish recruitment became obvious.
Additionally, the reconnected polder enable reed harvesting, grazing, fishing and ecotourism. +
Until the 20th century vast areas of the Danube Delta faced only minimal human impacts
through extensive fishery and reed harvesting. Since then the Danube Delta has undergone
multiple human impacts like embankment, channelization and drainage. Moreover, large
areas were diked and the polders used for agriculture.
The Babina polder (2.100 ha) was reconnected to the Danube in 1994 and recovery has been monitored by the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development.
Within a few years a redevelopment of the site-specific biodiversity occurred and ecosystem services like nutrient retention and fish recruitment became obvious. Additionally, the reconnected polder enable reed harvesting, grazing, fishing and ecotourism. +
W
Use NFM techniques to restore a number of natural processes to slow flows and attenuate water when required in order to reduce flood peaks downstream and reduce risk of flooding to at-risk properties +
R
Use NFM techniques to restore a number of natural processes to allow the river to better connect with the floodplain, slow flows and attenuate water when required in order to reduce flood peaks downstream and reduce risk of flooding to at-risk properties +
Use NFM techniques to restore a number of natural processes to allow the river to better connect with the floodplain, slow flows and attenuate water when required in order to reduce flood peaks downstream and reduce risk of flooding to at-risk properties +
W
Use NFM techniques to restore a number of natural processes to allow the river to better connect with the floodplain, slow flows and attenuate water when required in order to reduce flood peaks downstream and reduce risk of flooding to at-risk properties +
R
Vaalimaanjoen kunnostukset keskittyvät Reinikkalankosken vanhan sääntelypadon korvaamiseen pohjapadolla ja kalatiellä. Työt keskittyvät matalanveden aikaan, koska muutostöiden aikana veden täytyy virrata voimalaitoksen läpi. Padon poiston jälkeen uomaan reunoja louhitaan. Irralliset kivet kiinnitetään paikoilleen. Pohjapato täytetään hiekalla, soralla ja kiveyksellä. Padon harjalle levitetään kutusoraa. Kalatiestä kivetään 3-5 metriin leveä uoma. Kunnostustöiden ansiosta vaelluskaloille avautuu mahdollisuus nousta joen yläjuoksulle.
The restoration was complited as a part of the Interreg IV C funded HEALFISH Project. +
Vakkolankoski torrent was restored as a part of the Porvoonjoki River restoration project for migrating fish. The power plant and the dam in the torrent has been obstacle for fish migration to the upstream reaches. The aim of the project was to enable fish migration by constucting the bypass channel to pass the dam. Slight meanders were excavated and stones and gravel were placed to increase the biodiversity of the brook and to create fish habitats. The restoration took place in 2008-2009 and the project was accomplished in co-operation between Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Uusimaa and the municipality of Askola and NGO´s. Costs of the whole restoration was 232 000 euros. +
Varde River runs through the central and western part of Jutland from its out-spring to Ho Bugt, passing by Varde and Esbjerg cities. The river valley is the only remaining estuary in Western Jutland and was an area of great importance for migrating waterfowls with feeding, moulting and resting sites up to the 1950’s. Then, intensive farming based on grass pellets’ production and grazing seriously impaired the area's natural qualities. Fertilisation as well as drainage impoverished the natural vegetation and dependent fauna. Almost no wading birds bred in the area during the 1980’s and 1990’s, and only few migratory birds used the area for resting and foraging. In addition, leaching of nutrients and ochre reduced the water quality of the River Varde and the Wadden Sea.
The restoration project was based in land re-redistribution and initiated in the 1996 by local farmers and their organisations. A restoration plan was prepared in co-operation with the Danish Forestry and Nature Agency, the Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business under the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Land Owner Committee, Varde Farmer Union, Smallholders of Varde and Neighbourhood and Ribe County.
Most of the funding came from the EU LIFE programme and from 20 year management subsidies under EEC Reg. 2078/92. It was accepted under the EU LIFE funding that the farmers’ 20 year agreements would form the long term management part of the total project.
Natural hydrological conditions in 2,488 hectares of human-induced uniform well drained grassland were restored toward a favourable conservation status for habitats and species in the project River Varde Valley and the meadows of Ho Bay in the future. This was done by raising the water level, stopping the use of fertilisers and pesticides and by adjusting other agricultural practices, such as production periods and grazing regimes, to more extensive and environmentally beneficial practices.
The River Restoration Centre would like to thank Henrik Lykke Sørensen from the The Nature Agency (Danish Ministry of the Environment) for providing the information and photographs for this case study.
V
Vindel River LIFE is collaborative project between Umeå University, Vindel River Fishery Advisory Board, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Tributaries that were affected by fragmentation and channelization during the timber-floating era will be restored with the objective to widen the floodplain, increase the variation in the stream habitats, and to improve the condition for species in the Vindel river system. The Vindel river provides a unique habitat for a variety of aquatic species and many of them are listed as protected species. Otter, great diving beetle, bullhead, Atlantic Salmon, Salmon Trutta and freshwater pearl mussel are all present in the stream.
The length of the restored area is 4500 meters. During the restoration banks have been modified, closed channels re-opened, spawning grounds constructed and building fishways have been taken away to improve the habitats for migratory fish.
Ten demonstration sites were restored in 2010. By monitoring these restored sites and their references, the effects of restoration will be evaluated: hydrological measurements were done before restoration and after restoration in 2011; fish abundance was monitored before restoration and the after measurements will be done in summer 2013 and 2014; the riparian vegetation will be monitored after restoration in summer 2013 and 2014.
Remediation of Migratory Barriers in streams (ReMiBar) -project is related to the Vindel River LIFE project. (http://www.trafikverket.se/PageFiles/91694/remibar_remediation_of_migratory_barriers_in_streams.pdf) +
T
Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is one of the biggest floodplains in Europe. The lower part of the Volga basin (downstream Volgograd and Volzhskaya hydro-electric power station) remains more or less in its natural conditions while the rest of the Volga river represents the cascade of the dams and reservoirs for electric power production. During the hydrological monitoring which our group (Filippov O.V.) has started at 2001 it has been found out that some territories of the floodplain (some local ecosystems) have been very depressed. The reasons for such a situation are: 1. construction of the Volzhskaya HPP in 1958 which has been regulating the discharge of the water in the following way: the amount of the water hasn’t been changed but the distribution has been violated (winter discharges became larger; summer – less); 2. Local population during decades has used the territory for agriculture – plant growing and local dikes and dams were needed; 3. One of such places – the lake Sotovo – was surrounded with dikes to prevent flooding to come to the neighboring territories which were used for gardening. In 2006 the UNDP project named “Conservation of Wetlands Biodiversity in the Lower Volga Region” started. The group of scientists with the specialists of the project discussed some places for restoration in the floodplain and the Sotovo Lake was chosen. The lake was completely dried out because as we found out later it was surrounded with dikes and the paths for water from the river which should feed the lake from upper flow were closed. The main aim was to re-install the natural flooding regime at the Sotovo lake. To reach the aim it was decided to remove some parts of the earthen dike and to construct an installation (dam) for water level regulation. +
W
WHIP is a £1.6m project working with 400 farmers across Western Herefordshire to reduce the impact of agriculture on the Wye catchment. Using a bottom up approach, the project starts with the ecology of the rivers and then works with the farmers individually to identify the causes and adapt the management that is causing WFD failure. The project operates on a free and confidential basis, bringing farmers together into groups according to the catchment they are in and annually reviewing progress and monitoring results. This way we transfer 'ownership' of the project to the farmers. We commonly achieve over 95% engagement of the agricultural community in each water body.
The principle issues we are seeking to correct are
- Excessive loss of top soil to watercourses.
- Excessive loss of phosphate to watercourses.
- Pesticide contamination of water.
- Excessive overland flow.
- Degraded riparian habitat.
- Barriers to fish access.
The project delivers land use change by developing pragmatic and effective solutions with the farmers and agri-businesses on a farm by farm basis and delivering them. Fencing works and farm infrastructure works are supported with a delegated grant pool (50% of cost for fencing, up to £15,000 at max 50% for farm infrastructure). In combination we are achieving measurable improvements on a waterbody and catchment scale.
We have developed and adapted Durham University's computer model SCIMAP to create a practical and effective tool that both engages farmers and allows works to be effectively targeted on both a field and subcatchment level.
After a decade of WUF action removing/alleviating obstructions to fish migration in the Wye catchment the last few are being addressed in this project. +
WHIP officially ended on 30th June 2002 but for those of us dealing with the paper mountain, it really only finished a week or so into March 2003, when we had confirmation from WEFO that our final audit had been satisfactory and that all matters administrative and financial were satisfactorily concluded. What had been achieved since the auspicious start on April 1st 1998?
Devised by our Director in 1997 using funds from the European Agriculture and Guidance Fund (EAGGF), the scheme enabled significant amounts of habitat work to be carried out on targeted tributaries. This was the Foundation's first foray into European funding and the complexities these projects bring. Underpinning the main aim was a means of involving farmers who owned tributaries who would take advantage of improvements to their own brown trout fishing, while the principal funding parties would benefit additionally from improved salmon production. The project also aimed to market these small fisheries as part of the scheme. Approval came with a detailed list of agreed targets in such areas as job creation, advisory visits and numbers of innovative schemes and ideas created.
Up to the last world war, most of the tributaries of the Wye and Usk were rotationally coppiced. The wood extracted was used for charcoal, firewood and clogs. A collapse in demand for this sort of wood meant that most streamside trees remained unmanaged over the last sixty or more years, with multi-stemmed alder a feature of many streams.
Shading from mature trees gives rise to significant reductions of the numbers of juvenile trout and salmon a stream might otherwise be able to support. Martin O'Grady (1993) found a reduction to 18% and 22% in young trout and salmon densities in shaded streams when compared to unshaded streams. At worst, multi-stemmed trees are prone to topple over. Trunks left in the channel can deflect the flow can give rise to very extensive erosion. The loss of root systems is also likely to cause bank instability. Heavy grazing inhibits new tree growth (see pictures below) and together with the effects of shade, contrives to remove the stabilising effects of the annual bank side vegetation. Thus the essential stream structure is lost and with it, the parr territories that ultimately ensure good numbers for the next generation of salmon. Plenty of reason therefore, to re-introduce a riparian management programme.
Before work could start however, there were a number of significant logistical problems to solve. We were barely prepared for the chain of consents required to coppice trees, not to mention the concerns of those who believe conservation = doing nothing. This is how the chain went:
At first, we had to rely on the generosity of farmers to allow land to be fenced out of production. Later, following listing of the river system as a SSSI, Section 15 grants allowed them to be paid annually for loss of grazing. This became the vehicle by which CCW contributed to the project. Stream corridors became much wider as a result, and the problem of long-term commitment to maintenance was, from our point of view, solved: CCW part funded the coppicing and fencing and provided the essential legal agreement. The Agency agreed on a general consent for soft revetments, while they too contributed generously to the project. We were at last able to fence off, coppice and repair damaged sections of streams, ensuring farmers were compensated and that they had an interest in maintaining the improvements either through letting the fishing or via Section 15 agreements. So what did we achieve? Unquestionably one of the most important achievements was setting up the process that allowed habitats to be repaired and restored, plus seeing fish numbers significantly rise. Below is a summary of what we actually completed:
1. Streams:
25km fenced and coppiced/drinkers gates revetments etc on the...
Clywedog
Edw
Duhonw
Marteg
Digedi (fish passes)
2. New techniques:
We developed new techniques for making cost effective Watergates, reveting and a way of fencing certain sections that lie within flood plains.
3. Achievements
• 8 Full time and 4 part time Jobs Created
• 6 Jobs Safeguarded
• 81 Trainee places provided
• 91 Farm business advised
• 25 Group activities
• 2 New products developed
• 27% Farmers assisted under 40
• 29 New/enhanced farm attractions
• 21 Farmers assisted under 40
• 73 Trainee days provided
4.
WHIP won the Famous Grouse Wild Trout Society Award in 1999, with the Foundation's fish pass programme taking second place. In February 2001 Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) resulted in the work force being prohibited from entering farmland. Sadly we had to lay off most of the habitat team save a few key men. With little foreseeable resolution by May, our resolve to persevere resulted in work continuing on the Digedi fish passes, which fortunately could be accessed from the main road. One casualty of FMD was our marketing scheme, which went on hold to be resurrected with our next project.
R
WWF together with local people from Mindya village in the region of Veliko Turnovo, restored the connection of Veselina River, a tributary of Yantra, with its former meander near the village. When the river meander was cut off back in time, the river dug nearly 150 cm deeper into its bed, so now a threshold had to be built to raise its level enough for enabling it run back to its old bed.
The project objective is by conducting a number of technical, environmental and forest management activities to achieve ecosystem restoration of the river Vesselina in particular: • Conservation and restoration of biodiversity in isolated old bed of the river and correction of Vesselina river near by Mindya village; • Create favorable conditions for development of recreation and tourism in the region; • Reduce the level of flood risk; • Optimization of groundwater level and reduce the impact of drought and floods on agricultural land in river terrace; • Reduction of erosion; • Increased self-purification capacity of water flow in the region of isolated old bed of the river. +
U
Water Friendly Farming Project is a multi-partner national demonstration conceived by Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and Pond Conservation. It seeks to deliver catchment scale benefits to the rural water environment, together with new information about the practical effectiveness of the measures employed in the predominantly agricultural landscape. The project focuses on three 10 km2 upper catchments, and employs a Control, Impact, Before, After (BACI) approach, where two of the three catchments will receive mitigation measures, the third will act as a control. +
E
Water analyses have shown increased toxicity and pollution loads of the stream Glinščica. The innovative ecoremediation (ERM) system for treatment of the polluted tributary of Glinščica was therefore installed in 2006 and its performance has been monitored since then. The ERM system consists of the sedimentation pond for the deposition of coarse particles and reduction of current flow velocity; the vegetated ditch filled with different mixtures of sand, planted with common reed (Phragmites australis) for the aerobic – anaerobic treatment and meandered, revitalized stream bed of the tributary for the additional treatment. Hydro-morphological, physical and chemical parameters of the polluted tributary were monitored in season 2008/2009 (from April 08 until April 09), in addition to water and sediments' toxicity, reed productivity and ERM system's plant diversity. The results were compared with the results from first (2006/2007) and second (2007/2008) season and the efficiency of pollutants removal in the older ERM system was evaluated with respect to the initial state. The contribution of each part of the system to the efficiency of water cleaning and the contribution of the entire ERM system to the higher area's biodiversity were evaluated. The results showed efficient removal of BOD5 (9%), organic N (24%), ammonia (7%), nitrites (84%), nitrates (68%), total N (40%) and total P (3%) in the entire ERM system in the third season. Vegetated ditch was efficient in removal of ammonia (38%), nitrites (91%) and nitrates (63%) and meandered stream was efficient in removal of total P (10%). With the exception of suspended and dissolved solids, pollutants concentrations at the end of the ERM system stayed within the permitted levels for outflow. The results showed the entire ERM system to be more efficient in removal of nitrites and ammonia in season 2008/2009 compared to previous year. Removal of sediments from the pond proved to be essential for efficiency of vegetated ditch, since the ditch reached higher efficiency for almost all parameters after maintenance work in the summer 2008. The research showed regularly maintained ERM system efficiently decreased pollutants in the tributary of Glinščica and that combination of vegetated ditch and meandered stream for this purpose is an adequate and promising technology that can be further developed (Blumauer, 2010).
Creation of new sedimentation pond and creation of 70m long ecoremediation system for water treatment.