]> 2026-04-07T12:42:01+00:00 Case study:Four Rivers for LIFE 500 en Approved Natural Resources Wales River Restoration Centre EU's LIFE Environment Fund Welsh Water Welsh Government Woodland Trust Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Coleg Sir Gar No Yes Yes 51.882,-3.98399 JoshRRC Josh Robins ,, ,,, 28539 Natural Resources Wales, River Restoration Centre, EU's LIFE Environment Fund, Welsh Water, Welsh Government, Woodland Trust, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Coleg Sir Gar Pont-pantyscallog-on-the-usk-april-2022.jpg In progress Four Rivers for LIFE is an ambitious, large-scale river restoration project to improve the condition of four major rivers in Wales: Teifi, Cleddau, Tywi and Usk. These four rivers are classed as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) which means they are of international importance for their wildlife and plants such as Atlantic salmon, lamprey, shad, otter and water crowfoot. All four rivers are currently in an unfavourable condition as a result of multiple pressures. A total of 776km of river will be improved in mid and south Wales over the next four years. The project will aim to restore the rivers to a better condition. The rivers support several habitats and species from bogs and floodplains to fish, otter, freshwater pearl mussel and floating water plantain. These habitats and species are all threatened, and some are at risk of disappearing in Wales. The project will use long term nature-based solutions to improve the ecological quality of the four rivers such as, improving accessibility for migratory fish, improving habitat structure and function, and improving water quality. Working with partner organisations, farmers, landowners, local communities and contractors the project aims to: *Improve conditions for salmon, lamprey, shad, bullhead and other fish populations that have declined drastically in recent years. *Remove constraints to fish migration – improve fish passage at 12 sites, addressing in-river barriers such as weirs and other structures. *Re-naturalise rivers and restore natural processes – boulder, woody material and gravel re-introduction. Re-meandering, and floodplain reconnection along 5km of river and restoration of freshwater and wetland habitats on 136 hectares of floodplain. *Plant 50,000 native trees (supplied by the Woodland Trust) along river banks to create habitat, increase shading and establish buffer strips with 100km of fencing, with associated water quality and bank stability benefits. *Reduce the impact of invasive non-native species such as Himalayan balsam, American skunk cabbage, Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed. Trialling Rust Fungus on 8 sites to reduce Himalayan balsam, and working with contractors and volunteers to significantly reduce coverage in 15 sub-catchments. *Improve land management practices – reducing nutrients and sediment inputs from agricultural land by working with farmers and landowners to promote best practice farming techniques with the aim of engaging 350 farms. *Habitat improvement over 15km for the critically endangered Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Four Rivers for LIFE four rivers for life http://https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/what-we-do/our-projects/our-nature-projects/4-rivers-for-life/?lang=en Fisheries Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Land use management - agriculture Monitoring Peat 2025-07-04T13:09:10Z 2460861.0480324 2025-07-04T14:57:37Z 2460861.1233449 Four Rivers for LIFE 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Four Rivers for LIFE]] Four Rivers for LIFE# QUERYb8f2220e2cb0f730fee433705af32a80 Case study:Ty Mawr 500 en Ty Mawr Case study:Senni Bridge Replacement 500 en Senni Bridge Replacement Case study:Llangloffan Fen Habitat Restoration 500 en Llangloffan Fen Habitat Restoration Case study:Brecon Weir Modification 500 en Brecon Weir Modification Parent project 102 en Parent project