Llangwarren Habitat Improvement

In 2008 the Habitat Challenge Fund was created by the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) to help Rivers Trusts to deliver local riparian habitat restoration projects. The fund was an opportunity for the Rivers Trusts to gain experience in River habitat restoration techniques, development & management of habitat restoration schemes, delivery of habitat restoration schemes and gain experience in fund raising.

A total fund of £95,000 was made available across Wales from April 2008 until December 2009 and with support and guidance from EAW and Afonydd Cymru staff, the volunteers from six Rivers Trusts (Carmarthenshire, Clwyd & Conwy, Pembrokeshire, South East Wales, Teifi and Welsh Dee) identified, developed, managed and delivered a total of 16 individual habitat restoration schemes.

The projects ranged in complexity from relatively simple schemes to reduce the extent of tunnelling and removal of fallen trees to extensive in-river and bankside works to improve instream habitats for fish, stabilise erosion problems and reduce siltation and the breaching of impassable barriers to fish.

In addition to these many of the projects included measures to eliminate the issue of uncontrolled stock access to rivers and the associated problems of bank erosion, siltation and compaction of spawning gravels and removal of riparian vegetation. Significant lengths of new fencing, including drinking bays and swing gates, were installed to restrict stock access to the river and create riparian buffer strips, and substantial lengths of existing schemes were repaired / improved to ensure that they continued to protect the environment e.g. 5km of existing riparian buffer strip fencing was repaired on the Western Cleddau in Pembrokeshire.

Overall the schemes delivered by the Rivers Trusts under the Habitat Challenge Fund have resulted in over 9km of new habitat improved and 8km of existing habitat schemes being maintained. These figures include several Km of good spawning habitat that have been opened up and made accessible to fish as a result of the removal of impassable obstructions to migration.

In Pembrokeshire the Rivers Trust utilised some of the Habitat Challenge Fund to deliver the Llangwarren Habitat Improvement Project. The project is located in the Headwaters of the Western Cleddau at Llangwarren Estate land on Afon Cleddau and Nant y Bugail.

This site was identified as a potential project by the Trust's Environment & Habitats Group and at a visit to the farm by PRT representatives the following habitat issues were identified:

Need for improvement of riparian habitat

Riverbanks were showing signs of poaching by stock and this was causing increased rates of erosion and raised siltation levels in the river

These inputs were impacting on the water quality and causing smothering of the spawning gravels

These combined issues were reducing the rivers potential for successfully holding significant numbers of juvenile salmonids

There was little riparian vegetation / wildlife corridor due to the close proximity of some fencing to the river and the ability of stock to access the river unrestricted

A general reduction in agricultural impacts was required.

Project Description:

New fencing was required which was set back from the river to create an acceptable buffer strip, the width of which was negotiated with the landowner, tenant, and land agent. This fencing prevents stock from accessing the river and therefore reduces the erosion of the river bank and the associated siltation. The exclusion of stock and general reduction in agricultural impacts enables the water quality to improve and the reduced siltation increases the availability of clean spawning gravels.

Setting back the fencing from the top of the riverbank has created a wildlife corridor and the removal of stock has enabled riparian vegetation to become established.

Installation of drinking bays was required to restrict stock access to the river for watering and reduce the overall poaching of the riverbanks.

The length of fencing installed was approximately 1.5km single bank with drinking bays installed at appropriate locations. The specification for the fencing was agreed with all the interested parties as part of the production of a detailed project costing.

The fencing was only required on one bank as the land on the opposite side of the river is marshy and tree lined with no stock.

A condition assessment programme has been included in the project, which will allow an annual survey of the new fencing scheme to monitor its condition and feedback any problems to the Environment Agency.