A ‘first of its kind’ project has taken place on part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area restoring a 400-metre stretch of the river Avon considered one of the UK's finest chalk streams.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has improved the watercourse, natural floodplain and off-set nutrient pollution by putting the river back into the centre of the floodplain along a new channel.
Secondary Channels have been created in addition to connect wetlands and ponds and to establish wildlife habitats across the river’s floodplain and to boost biodiversity.
The river Avon is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and a special area of conservation (SAC).
Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s senior ecologist, Jenny Bennet said: “The MOD is committed to supporting nature recovery at the national and local level, while at the same time supporting and enhancing military capability.
“We aim to be a leader in wildlife and nature conservation and to achieve this, DIO funds a rolling programme of conservation projects across the UK and overseas Defence estate.”
“This innovative project, delivered in partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, will bring long-term benefits for biodiversity as well as directly addressing the issue of harmful nutrient levels, one of the key pressures affecting our rivers. We look forward to witnessing the new wetland evolve over the next few years.”
The chalk streams have a diverse ecosystem and is particularly vulnerable to nutrient pollution and excess amounts of nutrients which include phosphorus in rivers can increase the growth of algae and large aquatic plants which leads to reduced levels of oxygen killing fish and other aquatic life.
Read more: How the Salisbury River Park Project is coming together
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Water Team Manager, Alice Eley said: “We’ve been excited to work with the MOD on this pilot project, which we hope will inform future projects to improve the health of our chalk streams using natural solutions.
“As well as capturing harmful nutrients like phosphorus and improving biodiversity in the area, the more natural shape and size of the river channel should also kick-start natural river processes such as sedimentation in the margins and faster flows in the main channel to promote weed growth and create clean, spawning gravels.”
Read more: More than 30 animals killed or injured on New Forest roads
The restoration will see new wetland habitats retain water all-year-round meaning native wetland plants and wildlife will thrive. Bringing habitat diversity and benefits to endangered water voles and invertebrates such as dragonflies and damselflies. The improvements will also provide the perfect habitat for spawning fish such as the wild brown trout.
The completed project at West Chisenbury provides a template for tackling the challenges of elevated nutrient levels and associated biodiversity loss facing chalk streams throughout Wiltshire.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel