River Stour WFD Walkover SurveyVolunteer Project

2012 - 2015

River Stour WFD Walkover Survey

Aim: To identify what the existing habitat is like, where there are potential point and diffuse pollution sources and whether there is any need/opportunity for river enhancement works to address WFD objectives

This included recording:

•River and riparian habitat features

•Potential diffuse and point source pollution inputs

•Non-native invasive plants

•Dominant in-channel and riverside vegetation

•Protected species such as water vole and otter

River Stour catchment

Survey feature data

• 455 survey sections completed in from 2012 – 2015

• 245km of the River Stour and tributaries surveyed (of 262km)

• 22 volunteers involved with the project

• 600 volunteer days

• 9500 recorded river features from riffles to field drains

• In 2014 the River Stour Walkover Survey Volunteers were runners up at the Greenest County Awards

• 4 river habitat enhancement projects

The River Stour Walkover Survey in numbers

From survey……….

To database………..

To habitat restoration………..

• Using the survey data to guide riparian tree planting across the catchment with opportunities to work with the Woodland Trust and National Trust

• Informing future river habitat restoration projects, with two river restoration projects already in the pipeline for delivery in 2015

• Prioritising action on water quality issues, identifying opportunities for working with landowners to better protect their watercourses

• Improving understanding of Invasive Non-Native Species distribution and enabling targeted control strategies

Exciting opportunities for the future

Using the river survey data….

E.g. Identifying sections with <30% shade for targeted tree planting project