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Habitats
What We are Doing for Trees

We're carrying out a wide range of tree planting projects, including creating new hedgerows and copses, restoring and planting orchards, and filling in gaps in existing woodland—especially where trees have been lost to ash dieback.

We're also working to improve the condition of our protected sites, making them more resilient to climate change and better connected to each other and the wider river system. This includes removing invasive species, managing scrub, planting native trees, installing fencing, and planting new hedgerows.

In the first year of the project (winter 2023/24), we planted 12,174 trees across a variety of locations, including private farmland, public open spaces, and nature reserves. These plantings helped create new hedgerows, orchards, shelter belts, and river corridors.

What We are Doing for Ponds

We're working to create 5 new ponds and to reinstate or enhance 10 existing ponds across the catchment.

All new pond creations require planning permission. So far, we've completed one planning application for a new pond near the River Thaw.

We've dug over 15 trial pits across the catchment to help identify suitable locations, with plans to create 5 new ponds in spring 2025.

To date, we've reinstated 1 pond and are planning work on another 8 ponds over the coming winter and spring.

These ponds will act as stepping stones for wildlife, helping connect habitats across the landscape and providing food and shelter for a wide variety of species.

What We are Doing for Meadows

We're improving 10 hectares of lowland meadows and calcareous grasslands to boost biodiversity—supporting a wider range of plants, invertebrates, birds, and fungi. This work will help create better habitat connectivity through enhanced field margins, riparian corridors, and pockets of species-rich grassland.

Our work includes cutting and removing encroaching scrub, managing meadows for hay production, fencing off hedgerows to allow for conservation grazing, and collecting seed from biodiverse meadows to use at restoration sites.

What We are Doing for Rivers

By the end of the project, we aim to see the River Thaw, Kenson, Waycock, and their tributaries in better ecological condition. This will be achieved through a range of actions, including:

• Installing 3.5 km of new riparian fencing to protect riverbanks

• Providing alternative water sources, such as troughs, to reduce bank erosion and poaching by livestock

• Improving fish access by removing culverts and weirs, and installing fish passes

• Carrying out regular monitoring and surveys across the catchment to track changes and inform future work