WT Water for wildlife booklet 2016

WATER FOR

WILDLIFE

Taking action for our rivers, wetlands and their wildlife Water for Wildlife booklet.indd 1

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Water for Wildlife

Water for Wildlife is a partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts covering the Anglian region.

River Stour by Anglian Water

About Water for Wildlife

The Water for Wildlife partnership works to manage and restore our rivers and wetlands to enable wildlife to thrive, while providing the fullest range of natural benefits to society and the economy.

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Foreword Image by Claire Davey

Anglian Water has part-funded Water for Wildlife for over ten years, working in partnership with local Wildlife Trusts and with the support of many other organisations including the Environment Agency.

As you’ll see, achievements of Water for Wildlife are many and varied. Without it the plight of the water vole would be perilous, otters would not be so widespread, invasive

Since 2010 Water for Wildlife has...

Surveyed over 800 Km of rivers to assess their compliance with Water Framework Directive objectives

non-native species would have a greater foothold and river restoration would not be so advanced.

Water for Wildlife is about people too.

The success of the initiative is thanks to the thousands of days committed by Wildlife Trust volunteers, enabling local communities to make a difference to their environment for the benefit of everyone.

There is more focus on river restoration now than there has ever been. To meet Water Framework Directive requirements water quality needs to continue to improve and rivers must be restored, where

Surveyed over 300 Km of fenland drainage ditches and identified the fens as of regional, possibly national importance for water vole

possible, to a more natural state. This will safeguard wildlife but also enable rivers to play a greater role in reducing flood-risk, improving water quality and enhancing amenity and recreation.

Given these priorities Water for Wildlife is just as relevant today as it was when it started, if not more so. Whether you’re a potential volunteer, funder, or have an idea for a local project, get in touch with your local Wildlife Trust to find out how Water for Wildlife can help.

Chris Gerrard, Natural Catchment & Biodiversity Manager, Anglian Water

Helped water voles to return to all main rivers in Suffolk and the river Cam and some of its tributaries in Cambridgeshire

Controlled nonnative invasive plant species along 21 Km of rivers and 40 hectares of riverside land

Now

2010 Controlled mink along over 1000 Km of watercourses

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Restored 18 Km of rivers in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk

Brought over 320 hectares of wetland habitats back into positive management

Organised and supported volunteers undertaking over 30k hours of work to improve local rivers

Secured over ÂŁ400,000 of additional funding to support river and wetland conservation work

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Water for Wildlife

Our Vision

We achieve this through:

Kingfisher by Malcolm Brown

Rivers and wetlands support a greater range and abundance of wildlife and providing the fullest range of natural benefits to society and the economy • Gathering and using local evidence to direct action to enhance our rivers and wetlands.

• Designing and implementing projects that enhance the local environment.

• Involving local people in taking action to enhance their local environment and contribute to “citizen science”.

• Increasing understanding of our rivers and wetlands among decision-makers and local people.

• Working in partnership with landowners, water companies, the Environment Agency, other government bodies, local government, businesses and community groups • Sharing and promoting best practice in the management of our rivers & wetlands

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Dragonfly by Guy Pilkington

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Water for Wildlife

River restoration In Suffolk, Water for Wildlife working with the Environment Agency restored a 1Km stretch of the Little Ouse through Knettishall Heath in 2012.

New in-channel features were created including pools, runs and riffles to enhance wet woodland and chalk river to benefit priority species such as water vole, otter, eels and brown trout.

After

Images by Suffolk Wildlife Trust

River Little Ouse at Knettishall Heath

Monitoring has shown an increase in water vole abundance, aquatic invertebrate diversity and the return of brown trout.

River restoration can help to improve river flows and water quality, as well as alleviate flood flows. More fish and other wildlife make rivers a more attractive place for river users and visitors.

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Before

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

River restoration Since 2009, Water for Wildlife in Bedfordshire has worked with volunteers and contractors to significantly reduce the extent of the non-native invasive Himalayan balsam, along the river Flit.

The focus has been on Flitwick Moor SSSI, Bedfordshire’s most important wetland, but work has also taken place on private farmland upstream to reduce the amount of seed washing downstream.

Images by Gwen Hitchcock

Removal of Himalayan balsam along the Flit Vale

Removal of Himalayan balsam allows native vegetation to re-establish on the river banks, which protects the soil and prevents it washing downstream where it can reduce water quality.

Tackling Himalayan balsam at Flitwick Moor u

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Water for Wildlife

Conserving and enhancing wetlands In Norfolk, Water for Wildlife has recorded the location and condition of undesignated fens.

678 fen and wet woodland sites were identified and over 400 visited between 2004 and 2006. More than half were in an unfavourable condition, as a result of lack of management or drying out.

Banded Demoiselle by Dave Mckay

Assessment and enhancement of Norfolk’s small fens

160 sites were rated as a high priority for further work. Since 2013 management advice and support has been given to owners of 20 sites totalling 210 hectares.

New fencing has allowed grazing to be reintroduced to eight sites, including Hudson’s Fen, next to Norfolk Wildlife Trusts Roydon Common nature reserve and Anglian Water’s site at Taverham Mill. Restored fens with more wild flowers support more pollinating insects.

Restoration of fens also helps to replenish groundwater and retain water in the soil, acting as a sponge, releasing water more slowly during and after rainfall, and reducing the risk of flooding.

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Species recovery Water vole by Rupet Paul

Water vole recovery in Suffolk In 2003 it was predicted that water voles would have disappeared from Suffolk by 2015.

Water for Wildlife has worked to prevent this and reverse the decline, achieving an astonishing recovery of water voles in rivers across Suffolk.

Surveys identified the remaining populations. Targeted control of mink (their main predator) was organised with training and equipment including mink rafts and traps provided. Co-ordinated mink control is now taking place in most river catchments in Suffolk.

Surveys undertaken in the years following mink control have shown immediate and significant increase in water vole distribution.

The numbers of mink trapped have decreased by 80%, indicating many fewer mink are present and giving water voles the chance to recover.

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Water for Wildlife

Species recovery Water for Wildlife has mapped the status of water voles across the Cambridgeshire fens.

Water voles have been recorded in every drainage district surveyed.

Detailed studies since 2005 in two drainage districts, Ransonmoor and Curf Fen, have shown water vole distribution to be stable or even increasing. In 2015, 82% of ditches in Ransonmoor and 64% of ditches in Curf Fen were occupied by water voles.

Water vole by Tom Marshall.

The Fens – a national stronghold for water vole?

Results suggest that the large and interconnected network of drainage ditches across the fens allows water voles to survive even in the absence of co-ordinated mink control. The fens are a regional, possibly national, stronghold for water voles.

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Species recovery Image by Nancy Reed

Aquatic plants and insects at Felmersham nature reserve In 1974 a resident was clearing out her garden pond and introduced water soldier into Felmersham Gravel Pits SSSI, one of the richest sites in Bedfordshire for dragonflies and aquatic plants.

Water soldier has reduced populations of the rare bladderwort and aquatic invertebrates. Hand-pulling over many years has only slowed its spread.

In 2013 Water for Wildlife organised a contractor with specialist equipment to remove 30% of the water soldier. This has resulted in a significant increase in bladderwort which is also flowering again. The work will be repeated in future to maintain suitable habitats for the rare species.

Water soldier removal at Felmersham u

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Water for Wildlife

Volunteers The Essex River Warden’s Scheme

The survey method was developed, tested and refined by staff and volunteers. It uses maps, photos and GPS locations of recorded features, together with a standard form with drop down menus to aid consistency of recording. Results are uploaded through an on-line system.

As well as habitat features, engineering structures and pollution sources, the method allows for potential river enhancement projects to be recorded.

A network of River Wardens has been established across Essex with hundreds of kilometres of rivers being regularly visited by volunteers.

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The method and simple equipment allows new volunteers to be trained quickly and start recording along their local stretch of river.

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A Wildlife Trust volunteer by Pete Johnstone, PJ Elements

In 2012, Water for Wildlife in Essex developed a simple method for training volunteers to undertake surveys of water courses to assess their status and record reasons why a water course might be failing to meet Water Framework Directive objectives.

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Ragged-Robin by Sarah Lambert

Making improvements at the River Shep. Image by Rob Mungovan

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Water for Wildlife

Partnership Before

Water for Wildlife in Cambridgeshire has been working with a range of partners to restore the Hoffer Brook, a chalk stream that flows into the river Rhee near Foxton.

Historic dredging has created a degraded channel with little gravel, which was too wide and too deep.

Images by Ruth Hawksley

Partnership action to restore Hoffer Brook, Cambridgeshire

Restoration was organised along 3km of the brook, improving fish passage, creating new gravel spawning areas, re-profiling parts of the channel, removing trees to increase light reaching the channel, and removing a significant amount of silt.

District Council contractors undertook a careful, supervised de-silt. The Environment Agency and County Council provided funding and consent.

Volunteers created the in-channel river features and helped with tree clearance and re-seeding. Local landowners helped store and move gravel, pollard willows, and remove unwanted woody debris. They are also now more committed to looking after the brook.

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A self-maintaining stream has been created reducing silt build-up and brown trout are now breeding in the new gravel areas.

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After

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A partnership between Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trusts

Brown Trout by Jack Perks

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River Deben by Suffolk Wildlife Trust Cover image: by Terry Longley

Contact details for Water for Wildlife officers across the Anglian region Bedfordshire: Penelope Chaney. Email: penelope.chaney@wildlifebcn.org Cambridgeshire: Ruth Hawksley. Email: ruth.hawksley@wildlifebcn.org Essex: Darren Tansley. Email: darrent@essexwt.org.uk Norfolk: John Hiskett. Email: johnh@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk Suffolk: Penny Hemphill. Email: pennyhemphill@suffolkwildlifetrust.org Leonie Washington. Email: leoniewashington@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

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